APA 7: Block Quotes

1. Block quotes should be used sparingly or not at all, unless they come from research participants.
2. Any quotation containing 40 or more words should be formatted as a block quote.
3. As with all direct quotes, block quotes include the page number where the quote can be found.
4. Do not use quotation marks to enclose block quotations. Do use double quotation marks to enclose any quoted material within a block quotation.
5. Place period at the end of the quote rather than after the citation.
6. Block quotes should start on a new line and indent the block a ½ inch from the left margin.
7. If there are additional paragraphs within the block quote, indent the first line of each an additional half inch.
8. Double space the entire quotation.
9. Block quotes from research participants follow all these rules, but they do not include in-text citations.

Block quotes from research participants

Some testimony uncovered a great deal of pain in our focus group. “Anna” (36 years old) remembered her first time stepping into a workshop and the feelings that arose in her.

I loved the fandango. I could play a song with the group by the end of the workshop. It was fun. I was going through a hard time, divorce, my kids were with their father and I was lost. This community gave me something to look forward to and now every one of my close friends is here. Even with everything we have talked about, I believe in this place as one that has the potential to be a truly free one for all of us.

Introduce the author at the beginning of the quote (narrative in-text citation).

Khoravi (2018) noted the irony in the changes of symbolism and function of humanity's barriers over time.

The current border barriers are built to defend the economic interests of specific units called nation‐states, to safeguard the welfare of the members of these nation‐states, called citizens. Similar to the old walls, the new border walls indicate the nationalist desire for eternity, built to give the impression of being timeless. However, history shows that walls are doomed to fall and, in many cases, to become nothing more than tourist sites. Paradoxically they attract those they were supposed to keep out, the foreigners. (p. 413)

Or include the author at the end of the quote (parenthetical in-text citation)

The symbolism and function of humanity's barriers change over time in a way that is richly ironic.

The current border barriers are built to defend the economic interests of specific units called nation‐states, to safeguard the welfare of the members of these nation‐states, called citizens. Similar to the old walls, the new border walls indicate the nationalist desire for eternity, built to give the impression of being timeless. However, history shows that walls are doomed to fall and, in many cases, to become nothing more than tourist sites. Paradoxically they attract those they were supposed to keep out, the foreigners. (Khoravi, 2018, p. 413)