Where to place the period (full stop) – in academic writing

One of the most common errors in academic writing is related to the use of the period (or full stop) when a sentence ends with a quotation. 

Should the full stop be placed before or after the closing quotation mark? This is a very frequent question that academics and students ask themselves when writing an essay or a thesis/dissertation paper. 

In this short article, we will explain the rule on the usage of the full stop in this case in simple terms so that every student can know how to correctly use the full stop when the sentence ends with a quotation - ACCORDING TO BRITISH ENGLISH USAGE.

(Note: In American English, it is completely the opposite)

Full stop inside 

The full stop should be placed before the closing quotation mark when the sentence quoted is a full grammatical sentence, i.e a sentence that can stand on its own and is complete. 

Let’s see an example to make it clear. 

Rober (2000) argues that “social responsibility is an important aspect that has been researched by a large number of academics.” 

As you can see, the sentence between the quotation marks is a complete sentence that can be taken away and separated from the wider sentence and can still stand on its own without problem. In this case, the full stop must come before the closing quotation mark. 

Social responsibility is an important aspect that has been researched by a large number of academics. 

Let's take another example:

Abraham (1989) said that “the phenomenon was subject to study by researchers.” 

Again, here the full stop or period is placed before the end quotation mark because the sentence is a full and grammatical sentence. 

Now let’s look at a different example: 

Abraham said that the “phenomenon was subject to study by researchers”. 

The full stop here is placed after the end quotation mark because technically the sentence quoted cannot stand on its own: it is not a grammatically complete sentence. 

In this example, the article “the” was taken away, thus making the sentence incomplete. 

Full stop outside 

When the sentence is not complete and cannot grammatically stand alone, the full stop or period must be placed after the closing quote mark. 

Let’s exemplify: 

Hadi (2008) addressed the topic in a study described by some academic researchers as “ground-breaking and promising”. 

The quoted sentence here is incomplete and certainly cannot independently. Hence, the full stop must come outside the end quotation mark.

Note: This article explained where the full stop or period should be placed at the end of a sentence ending with a quotation in academic writing according to British English usage.

In American English, it is the exact opposite: the full stop is placed outside when the sentence is complete and inside when the sentence is incomplete. 

Martin E. is an English proofreading services UK-based expert who works as an academic editor for the Ultimate Proofreader, the UK's No 1 essay and dissertation proofreading services UK-based provider.

Still worried you can get your full stop misplaced in your writing, or indeed any other aspect related to English language usage? Why not use the help of our experienced academic editors? Our services are available 24 hours and are very affordably priced. Get in touch with us via email or WhatsApp on 00447717750188. Our substantive dissertation proofreading services UK are second to none.