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Brackets

Bracketsallowtheinsertionofeditorialmaterialinsidequotations.Theycanbeusedforthe
followingpurposes:

Clarification
Translation
Indicating a change in capitalization
Indicating errors
Emphasis
Censoring objectionable content
Parenthetical within parenthetical


Clarification

Iftheoriginalmaterialincludesanounorpronounthatisunclear,bracketscanbeusedfor
clarication.

The president stated that he will not sign the bill they [Republican members of the
House] have been talking about.

In his memoirs, the author reveals, The year we moved into the house [1985] was a
difficult one for us, both emotionally and financially.

The media mogul was overheard saying, I would never do a deal with [Acme
Corporation's CEO,] Wile E. Coyote.

Whenusedinthisway,thebracketedinformationshouldbeanaddition,notasubstitution.
Forexample,iftheoriginalquotationisShenevercalledback,donotchangeitto[Lucy]
nevercalledback.Insteadwrite:She[Lucy]nevercalledback.(Note:Manynewspapers
ignorethisrule.Inprofessionalandacademicwriting,itisbeertofollowit.)

Inmanycases,bracketscanbeavoidedbyreframingthequotation.

Awkward: Why cant we do the same thing [provide governmentfunded grants to
independent filmmakers] in this country? Christina Black asks.

Recast: Citing filmmaking grants provided by the Australian government, independent
filmmaker Christina Black asks, Why cant we do the same thing in this country?


Translation

Ifaquotationincludesaforeignwordorphrasethatmightnotbeunderstood,providea
translationinbrackets.(Useparenthesesfortranslationsofunquotedmaterial.)

Smith writes in his autobiography: I seldom spoke in French class. When I did, I usually
just said je ne sais pas [I dont know].


Indicating a change in capitalization

Inmostcontexts,itisacceptabletosilentlychangetherstleerofquotedmaterialfrom
uppercasetolowercase,orviceversa.Incertaincontexts,suchchangesmustbeindicatedwith
brackets.

 [T]his study has been widely cited, notwithstanding its dubious methodology.
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Indicating errors

TheLatintermsic,meaningsoorthus,isusedtoindicateanerrororconrmanunusual
usageintheoriginalmaterial.Withoutthesic,areadermightwonderiftheerrorwasmadeby
thewriteroeringthequotation.Notethatsicshouldbeitalicized,butthebracketscontaining
itshouldnot.

The final report indicated that pilot error were [sic] the most likely cause of the crash.

Asanalternative,reframethequotationtoeliminatetheerror.

Pilot error, according to the final report, was the most likely cause of the crash.

Ifyoususpect,butarenotcertainof,anerrorintheoriginalmaterial,abracketedguessand
questionmarkisappropriate.

The architect appears to have been heavily influenced by the Bacchus [Bauhaus?] style.


Emphasis

Ifyouuseitalicstoemphasizeaportionofthequotation,indicatethechangeinbrackets.

She said she would consider a very short extension of the deadline, but only under the
most extraordinary circumstances [emphasis added].

Analternativeapproachistonotetheemphasisoutsidethequotation,inparentheses,eitheras
aseparatesentenceimmediatelyafterthesentencecontainingthequotation:

She said she would consider a very short extension of the deadline, but only under the
most extraordinary circumstances. (Emphasis added.)

orasaparentheticalnoteaddedtotheendofthesentencecontainingthequotation:

She said she would consider a very short extension of the deadline, but only under the
most extraordinary circumstances (emphasis added).


Objectionable content

Iftheoriginalmaterialcontainslanguageyoudeeminappropriateforyouraudience,brackets
canbeusedtoremoveit.

He told them to sit the [expletive] down.


Parenthetical within parenthetical

Intherareeventthatparenthesesarerequiredwithinparentheses,usebracketsinstead.Thisis
oneofthefewusesofbracketsoutsideofquotations.

Correct: In his twenties, he toured the country giving lectures to physics students
(subsequently published as Mtheory for Morons [2008]).

Incorrect: In his twenties, he toured the country giving lectures to physics students
(subsequently published as Mtheory for Morons (2008)).


Brackets in the material being quoted

Ifthematerialbeingquotedalreadycontainsbrackets,thisshouldbenoted.

 Richardson finds support for his position in an earlier study by the Somesuch Foundation:
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during the four years he [George Top Ten
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