A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, 7th edition - Kate L. Turabian 2007

Omissions
Quotations
Part III. Style 20 spelling

If you omit words, phrases, sentences, or even paragraphs in a quotation because they are irrelevant, do not change or misrepresent the meaning of the original quotation. Not only must you preserve words that might change the entire meaning of the quotation (such as not, never, or always), but you must also preserve important qualifications. The quotation shown in the following example would be a misrepresentation of the author's meaning. (See also 4.2.3.)

Original: The change was sure to be beneficial once the immediate troubles subsided.

Yang claims, “The change was sure to be beneficial.”

To indicate the omission of a word, phrase, or sentence, use ellipsis dots—three periods with spaces between them. (Many word processors have a special character that represents an ellipsis.) Since the dots stand for words omitted, they always go inside the quotation marks or block quotation. Leave a space between the last quoted word or punctuation mark and the first ellipsis dot and another space after the last dot before the next word or punctuation mark.

“We are fighting for truth; . . . for freedom . . .; and . . . for survival.”

How you use ellipses in certain situations depends on your discipline. For most disciplines, follow the general method; for literary studies and other fields concerned with close analysis of texts, follow the textual studies method (see below). If you are not sure which method to follow, consult your local guidelines or your instructor. See 25.3.1 for adjustments to capitalization and punctuation with omissions.

GENERAL METHOD. You may shorten a quotation such as the following in several different ways.

Original: When a nation is wrong, it should say so and apologize to the wronged party. It should conduct itself according to the standards of international diplomacy. It should also take steps to change the situation.

If you omit words within a sentence, use three ellipsis dots as described above.

“When a nation is wrong, it should . . . apologize to the wronged party.”

If you omit material between sentences and the material preceding the omission is a grammatically complete sentence, use a terminal punctuation mark immediately following that sentence. Leave a space between that punctuation mark and the first ellipsis dot. Follow this practice even if the omission includes the end of the preceding sentence as long as what is left is grammatically complete (as in the second example here).

“When a nation is wrong, it should say so and apologize to the wronged party. . . . It should also take steps to change the situation.”

“When a nation is wrong, it should say so. . . . It should also take steps to change the situation.”

If you omit material between sentences so that the material preceding and following the omission combines to form a grammatically complete sentence, do not include terminal punctuation before the ellipsis. To avoid misrepresenting the author's meaning, however, it is generally better to use one of the shortening options above or to use two separate quotations in this situation.

“When a nation is wrong, it should say so and . . . take steps to change the situation.”

The same principles apply with other types of punctuation marks, which precede or follow an ellipsis depending on where the words are omitted. In some situations, such as the second example below, consider using a more selective quotation.

“How cold was it? . . . No one could function in that climate.”

“The merchant's stock included dry goods and sundry other items . . ., all for purchase by the women of the town.”

or

The merchant stocked “dry goods and sundry other items” for the town's women.

Since in many contexts it is obvious when a quotation has been shortened, you need not use ellipsis points in the following situations:

before or after a quoted phrase, incomplete sentence, or other fragment from the original that is clearly not a complete sentence. If you omit anything within the fragment, however, use ellipsis points at the appropriate place:

Smith wrote that the president had been “very much impressed” by the paper that stressed “using the economic resources . . . of all the major powers.”

at the beginning of a quotation, even if the beginning of the sentence from the original has been omitted

at the end of a quotation, even if the end of the sentence from the original has been omitted

TEXTUAL STUDIES METHOD. The textual studies method uses ellipses more strictly than the general method to represent omissions of material at the beginning and end of quoted sentences. If you use this method, follow the principles of the general method except as noted below.

Original: When a nation is wrong, it should say so and apologize to the wronged party. It should conduct itself according to the standards of international diplomacy. It should also take steps to change the situation.

If you omit material between sentences but quote the sentence preceding the omission in full, use a terminal punctuation mark immediately following that sentence. Leave a space between that punctuation mark and the first ellipsis dot, as in the general method, shown in the first example below. However, if the omission includes the end of the preceding sentence (even if what is left is a grammatically complete sentence), put a space instead of a punctuation mark immediately following that sentence. After the space, use four ellipsis dots to represent the omission (as in the second example here).

“When a nation is wrong, it should say so and apologize to the wronged party. . . . It should also take steps to change the situation.”

but

“When a nation is wrong, it should say so . . . . It should also take steps to change the situation.”

If you begin a quotation with a sentence that is grammatically complete despite an omission at the beginning of the sentence, indicate the omission with an ellipsis. If the first word is capitalized in the quotation but not in the original, indicate the changed letter in brackets (see 25.3.1).

. . . [I]t should say so and apologize to the wronged party.”

If you end a quotation with a sentence that is grammatically complete despite an omission at the end of the sentence, indicate the omission with a four-dot ellipsis, as you would for an omitted ending between sentences.

“When a nation is wrong, it should say so. . . .”

SPECIAL TYPES OF OMISSIONS. The following practices apply to both the general and textual studies methods of handling omissions.

If you omit a full paragraph or more within a block quotation, indicate that omission with a period and three ellipsis dots at the end of the paragraph before the omission. If the quotation includes another paragraph after the omission, indent the first line of the new paragraph. If it starts in the middle of a paragraph, begin with three ellipsis points after the indentation.

Merton writes:

A brand-new conscience was just coming into existence as an actual, operating function of a soul. My choices were just about to become responsible. . . .

. . . Since no man ever can, or could, live by himself and for himself alone, the destinies of thousands of other people were bound to be affected.

Show the omission of one or more complete lines of a poem quoted in a block quotation by a line of ellipsis points about as long as the line above it.

The key passage reads as follows:

Weep no more, woeful shepherds, weep no more,

For Lycidas your sorrow is not dead,

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To all that wander in that perilous flood.