How to Quote a Quote: Punctuation and Citations
"Quoting a quote" covers two different problems. The first is punctuation: when the passage you are quoting already contains a quotation, American English switches the inner quotation marks to single marks ("She said, 'Not today.'"). The second is citation: when you only read someone's words in another author's work, you cite the source you actually read and signal the original speaker with "as cited in" (APA) or "qtd. in" (MLA).
This guide handles both, with examples you can adapt.
Part 1: Punctuating a quote within a quote
American convention
Use double quotation marks for the outer quote and single quotation marks for the quote inside it.
The report noted, "Several residents described the noise as 'constant and unbearable' during the night shift."
If there is a third level, go back to double marks. This is rare and usually a sign to rephrase.
British convention
British publishers often reverse this: single marks outside, double marks inside.
The report noted, 'Several residents described the noise as "constant and unbearable" during the night shift.'
Many UK universities accept either convention as long as you are consistent. APA and MLA, as American styles, use double outer and single inner marks.
Where the closing punctuation goes
In American style, full stops and commas go inside quotation marks, including when two marks close together:
Marcus told the committee, "My manager's exact words were 'We'll revisit it next quarter.'"
Question marks and exclamation marks go inside only if they belong to the quoted material:
Did she really say, "The answer is 'maybe'"?
He asked, "Who wrote 'The Road Not Taken'?"
Block quotations
In a long quotation set off as an indented block, you do not use outer quotation marks at all. Any quotation inside the block keeps the double marks it had in the original.
As the historian explains:
The mayor's speech ended with a line that the crowd repeated for weeks: "We build for the children we will never meet." Newspapers printed it under the headline the next morning. (Kendrick 211)
Quoting dialogue from fiction
When you quote a passage containing a character's speech, convert the character's double marks to single marks if your quote is short and in running text:
Early in the novel, the narrator admits, "I heard her say 'goodbye' and thought nothing of it" (Alder 34).
Part 2: Citing a secondary source
Sometimes you find a great quotation from one person inside an article or book written by someone else, and you cannot access the original. This is called citing an indirect or secondary source. Style guides discourage it when the original is available, because you are relying on another writer's accuracy. When you cannot get the original, cite it honestly.
APA 7th edition: "as cited in"
Name the original author in your sentence or citation, then write "as cited in" followed by the source you actually read. Only the source you read goes in the reference list.
Parenthetical: (Hartley, 1998, as cited in Moreno, 2021, p. 56)
Narrative: Hartley (1998, as cited in Moreno, 2021) described rural schools as "the last public buildings in many villages" (p. 56).
If you do not know the year of the original, omit it: (Hartley, as cited in Moreno, 2021).
The reference list contains Moreno (2021), not Hartley.
MLA 9th edition: "qtd. in"
MLA uses "qtd. in" (quoted in) inside the parenthetical citation. Again, only the source you read goes in Works Cited.
According to Hartley, rural schools were "the last public buildings in many villages" (qtd. in Moreno 56).
Your Works Cited lists Moreno's book or article.
Chicago style: "quoted in"
In notes and bibliography style, Chicago prefers that you find the original. If you cannot, give the original details if known, then "quoted in" and the source you consulted:
- Edward Hartley, Village Schools (1998), 14, quoted in Ana Moreno, Rural Education Today (Bristol: Westway Press, 2021), 56.
Chicago's rules here are fairly detailed, so check the edition your instructor requires.
Combining both problems
Sometimes you face both at once: the source you read quotes someone, and you want to quote that whole passage.
Moreno writes that Hartley "called rural schools 'the last public buildings in many villages,' a phrase that still circulates in policy debates" (56).
Here the outer quote is Moreno's words, the inner single-quoted phrase is Hartley's, and the citation points to Moreno because those are the words you are quoting.
When to track down the original instead
Try to find the original source if:
- The quote is central to your argument.
- The secondary source seems to be quoting loosely or out of context.
- The original is easy to find through your library.
- Your instructor has asked you to use primary sources.
Checking the original also guards against misattributed quotes, which spread easily when writers copy from one another.
Tidy citations, fewer mistakes
Formatting the reference for the source you read is straightforward with an MLA citation generator or APA citation generator. The "as cited in" or "qtd. in" part is added in your text, not in the reference. Once the draft is done, a run through a grammar checker can catch mismatched quotation marks, though you should still check nested quotes by eye.
Common mistakes
- Listing the original author in the reference list when you never read their work.
- Using double marks inside double marks, which makes it impossible to tell where each quote ends.
- Putting "as cited in" in MLA or "qtd. in" in APA. Each style has its own wording.
- Dropping the inner marks entirely, which hides the fact that the words belong to a third person.
FAQ
How do you punctuate a quote inside a quote?
In American English, use double quotation marks for the outer quote and single marks for the inner one: "She said, 'Wait here.'" British English often reverses the order. Stay consistent with the style your school or publisher uses.
How do I cite a quote I found in another book in APA?
Write the original author's name, then "as cited in" and the author and year of the book you read, for example (Hartley, 1998, as cited in Moreno, 2021, p. 56). Only Moreno goes in your reference list.
What does "qtd. in" mean in MLA?
It stands for "quoted in." Use it in an MLA parenthetical citation when you quote someone whose words you found in another source: (qtd. in Moreno 56). The source you actually read goes in Works Cited.
Is it okay to use secondary sources for quotes?
It is acceptable when the original is unavailable, but most style guides and instructors prefer that you consult the original. Use secondary citations sparingly, especially for quotations central to your argument.