Quotations - UNU Comms

Sentence-length quotations

A quotation that comprises one or more complete sentences should be introduced by a colon (not a comma) and begin with a capital letter. Place the final punctuation inside the quotation marks when it coincides with the end of the sentence.

In his report on the work of the United Nations, the Secretary-General wrote: “When it was created more than half a century ago, in the convulsive aftermath of world war, the United Nations reflected humanity’s greatest hopes for a just and peaceful global community. It still embodies that dream.”

An alternative is to use a journalistic-style quote, which breaks the quoted material with the identity of the speaker.

“When it was created more than half a century ago, in the convulsive aftermath of world war,” the Secretary-General wrote, “the United Nations reflected humanity’s greatest hopes for a just and peaceful global community. It still embodies that dream.”
“This launch of this project is an important milestone,” said Rector Malone. “UNU research in this area will contribute greatly to global policy needs.”

Quotation marks

Use double quotation marks to start and end a quoted section; use single quotation marks for quoted words or phrases within that section.

If a quotation forms an essential grammatical part of a sentence, begin it with a lowercase letter and place the final punctuation is outside the ending quotation mark.

Rule 60 specifies that “the phrase ‘members present and voting’ means members casting an affirmative or negative vote”.
The representative of Chile revised draft resolution by inserting, at the end of paragraph 4, the words “or at the highest level possible”.