Q. When should I use a block quote in Chicago style?

According to The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, in section 13.9, block or "set off" quotes are not enclosed in quotations and are usually used at the discretion of a publisher's designer or by the style of the journal. Generally, as described in section 13.10, quotations that are less than one sentence should be treated as "run in" quotes that use quotation marks within the normal flow of a text. Normally a hundred words or more can be set off as a block quotation.

Other criteria for use of block quotes includes:

• A quotation of a paragraphs
• Quoted correspondence
• Lists
• Materials that require special formatting, such as poetry

More examples for using block quotation can be found in sections 13.22 to 13.24 of the Chicago Manual of Style.

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