Periods and commas ALWAYS go inside the quotation marks.
“Our company is looking to reach a larger audience than ever before,” John Doe said.
Always capitalize the first word of the quote.
John Doe said, “We are focusing on customer service.”
Typically, if a quote ends the sentence, then the final punctuation rests inside the quotation marks.
Susie Q. said, “We weren’t sure what to do next, but then the answer hit us.”
No period is needed after the quote. The period inside the quote signifies the end of the quote, as well as the end of the actual sentence.
Book titles and article titles should be included in quotation marks.
John Doe released his new book titled “Local Marketing Trendsetters” in March 2016.
Use single quotation marks for quotations within quotations.
Dan said, “In a town outside Brisbane, I saw ‘Tourists go home’ written on a wall.”
Quotation marks are often used with technical terms, terms used in an unusual way, or other expressions that vary from standard usage.
It’s an oil-extraction method known as “fracking.”
He did some “experimenting” in his college days.
I had a visit from my “friend” the tax man.
When quoted material runs more than one paragraph, start each new paragraph with opening quotation marks, but do not use closing quotation marks until the end of the passage.
She wrote, “I don’t paint anymore. For a while I thought it was just a phase that I’d get over.
“Now, I don’t even try.”