Quotation Punctuation

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Writing Tip Wednesdays May 6, 2026

Quotation marks can be tricky. Writing Tip Wednesday has tackled them a few times, most exhaustively in Quotation Marks. But that guide doesn’t touch on one of the most frequent issues we see: confusion about how to combine quotation marks with end punctuation. Here are three quick tips for this common conundrum.

Rule 1: Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks.

INCORRECT: His presentation was entitled “Ataxia: Recognizing the Symptoms”.

CORRECT: His presentation was entitled “Ataxia: Recognizing the Symptoms.”

INCORRECT: “We will double production of the vaccine”, the spokesman said.

CORRECT: “We will double production of the vaccine,” the spokesman said.

Rule 2: Place question marks and exclamation points inside the quotation marks only if there’s a question or exclamation inside the quotation marks.

EXAMPLE: Have you read the MMWR article “Measles Outbreak in a Child Care Facility”?

EXPLANATION: The title itself is not a question, so the question mark is outside the quotes.

EXAMPLE: She asked, “Have you read that journal article?”

EXPLANATION: “Have you read that journal article?” is a question, so the question mark goes inside the quotes.

Rule 3: Footnote numbers go outside punctuation and quotation marks.

INCORRECT: According to the study, “Longer-term hydrogen sulfide exposures are not expected to pose a public health hazard2.”

CORRECT: According to the study, “Longer-term hydrogen sulfide exposures are not expected to pose a public health hazard.” 2

Practice: Correct any incorrect sentences.

  1. If I’m put on “furlough status,” will I still get paid?
  2. Number two on the questionnaire was, “Where are the outbreaks occurring?”
  3. Which journals describe the experiment as “groundbreaking?”
  4. “This level of cooperation”, the laboratory director said, “was unprecedented” 3.
  5. Do the training videos always end with, “See the manual for further instructions?”
  6. Check the “Introduction,” “Methods,” and “Discussion” sections.
  7. Did we agree with the recommendation to “cancel the program immediately?”
  8. Mohammed begins her popular lecture with, “Who here can follow instructions?”

Answers:

  1. correct
  2. correct
  3. groundbreaking”?
  4. cooperation,” unprecedented.”3
  5. instructions”?
  6. correct
  7. immediately”?
  8. correct

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