6.3 Quotation Marks in a Transcript

AAERT Certified Electronic Transcriber CET

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1 Chapter 1: CET Exam Orientation

1.1 The CET Credential, Exam Format & Eligibility 1.2 The Practical Exam Workflow & a Blueprint-Based Study Plan

2 Chapter 2: Ethics, Conflicts of Interest & Confidentiality

2.1 Ethical Obligations & Avoiding the Appearance of Impropriety 2.2 Conflicts of Interest: Recognizing and Handling Them 2.3 Confidentiality, NDAs, File Security & HIPAA

3 Chapter 3: Professional Behavior, Multi-Channel Audio & Equipment

3.1 Professional Behavior: Impartiality, the Accurate Record & Service 3.2 Multi-Channel Recording & How to Play Channels 3.3 Troubleshooting, Technical Escalation & Equipment Maintenance

4 Chapter 4: Proofreading, Spelling, Capitalization & Numbers

4.1 Proofreading vs. Literary Editing & Why Spelling Matters 4.2 Capitalization in a Transcript 4.3 Numbers in a Transcript

5 Chapter 5: [sic], Abbreviations, Clauses & Commas

5.1 [sic] and Abbreviations 5.2 Clauses & the Core Comma Rules 5.3 Commas in Testimony: Address, Introductory Words, Appositives, Series & Tags

6 Chapter 6: End Punctuation, Colons, Semicolons & Quotation Marks

6.1 Periods, Question Marks & Exclamation Points 6.2 Colons & Semicolons 6.3 Quotation Marks in a Transcript

7 Chapter 7: Apostrophes, Dashes, Hyphens, Ellipses, Slashes & Parentheses

7.1 Apostrophes: Possessives, Contractions & Plurals 7.2 Dashes & Hyphens: Interruptions, Breaks and Compounds 7.3 Ellipses, Slashes & Parentheses

8 Chapter 8: Federal Format, Title Page & Index Page

8.1 Federal District Court Format & Page Specifications 8.2 The Title Page 8.3 The Index Page

9 Chapter 9: Proceedings Page, Headers, Certificate & Colloquy

9.1 The Proceedings Page, Calls to Order & Page Headers 9.2 The Transcriber's Certificate 9.3 Colloquy, Question-and-Answer Format & Paragraphing

10 Chapter 10: Oaths, Parentheticals, Exhibits & Special Procedures

10.1 Swearing Witnesses, Parenthetical Notations & Exhibits 10.2 Quoted Material, Words Spelled on the Record & Italics for Non-English Words 10.3 Strikes, Playbacks, Recordings Played, Asides & Sidebars

11 Chapter 11: Special Designations, Interpreters, Remote Jobs & Verbatim Rules

11.1 Certified Questions, Redactions & Confidential Designations 11.2 Interpreters, Videographers & Remote Proceedings 11.3 Verbatim Transcription: Tics, Substantive Words & Chopped-Down Speech

12 Chapter 12: Interruptions, Indiscernible Speech & Transcriber Judgment Calls

12.1 Interruptions, Indiscernible Speech & Nonverbal Responses 12.2 Log Notes, Case Information, the Court Reporter & Judgment Calls on Names and Speakers

13 Chapter 13: Page Estimates, Originals & Copies, Drafts & Research

13.1 Page Estimates, Original vs. Copy & Rough and Expedited Transcripts 13.2 References, Internet Research & Understanding the Case

14 Chapter 14: Proceedings, Case Types & the Life Cycle of a Case

14.1 Types of Proceedings & Federal Read and Sign 14.2 Types of Cases & the Order of Court and Non-Court Proceedings 14.3 The Life Cycle of a Case

15 Chapter 15: Parties, Legal Documents, Jurisdiction & Venue

15.1 Parties, Participants & Types of Witnesses 15.2 Reading Legal Documents & Using the Docket 15.3 Jurisdiction, Venue & Civil vs. Criminal Proceedings

16 Chapter 16: Case Law, Citations & Jury Selection

16.1 Case Law & the Elements of a Case Citation 16.2 Jury Selection (Voir Dire) & Bench vs. Jury Trials

17 Chapter 17: Legal & Latin Terminology

17.1 Legal Terminology I: Pleadings, Motions, Orders & Procedure 17.2 Legal Terminology II: Evidence, Objections, Rulings & Trial Terms 17.3 Latin Terminology I: Procedure, Courts & Parties 17.4 Latin Terminology II: Doctrine, Evidence & Criminal Law

18 Chapter 18: Medical Terminology

18.1 Medical Terminology I: Word Parts, Directions & Anatomy 18.2 Medical Terminology II: Conditions, Procedures, Medications & Sound-Alikes

6.3 Quotation Marks in a Transcript

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Direct quotations of someone's exact words take quotation marks; indirect (reported) speech introduced by "that" or "whether" does not.

Under the Guide to Judiciary Policy, each question and answer read from a deposition at trial is preceded by a quotation mark, with a closing quotation mark at the end of the reading.

In American style, periods and commas go inside closing quotation marks; colons and semicolons go outside; question marks go inside only if the quoted words are a question.

Material read aloud is placed in quotation marks only when it is read word for word; a paraphrase takes none.

Last updated: September 2026

Blueprint topic 20207 asks you to "define how quotation marks are used in a transcript and identify their use in a sentence." In testimony, quotation marks answer one question for the reader: are these the exact words someone said or wrote?

Direct vs. indirect quotation

Direct quotation: the speaker repeats someone's words as that person said them. Use quotation marks.

A. And then he said, "We're not going to be able to keep this confidential." (Scalini key)

Indirect quotation: the speaker reports the substance. No quotation marks, and usually no comma before that :

A. He said that he and Officer Scalini had had an affair.

Clues to a direct quote: a change of person or tense ( "I'm coming to see you" from a witness describing her own words at the time), a shift in voice on the recording, or phrases like he said followed by first-person speech.

Approximate quotes still take quotation marks when the speaker presents the words as a quote: He said something to Officer Scalini that, "I hope Gigi chokes on my blood after I kill myself," or something -- you know words to that effect. (Scalini key) The hedging stays outside the quotation marks.

Quoting yourself or a thought

Witnesses quote their own words or thoughts: And then I said, "All right. Give me a few minutes." A quoted thought may take quotation marks or none. Many transcripts omit them for thoughts ( I thought, why is he here? ). Be consistent.

Material read into the record

When an attorney or witness reads aloud from a document, statute, exhibit or prior transcript, put the words read in quotation marks, but only if the reading is word for word . Check the exhibit if you have it. A summary or paraphrase is not quoted.

The Guide to Judiciary Policy (§ 520.36.35(c)) sets the format for quoted material other than depositions: it begins on the tenth space from the left margin, with additional lines also beginning at the tenth space, "with appropriate quotation marks used."

Depositions read at trial

Because deposition testimony read at trial has the same effect as live testimony, the Guide (§ 520.36.35(a)(2)) keeps it in Q and A format, and:

"each question and answer read from a deposition must be preceded by a quotation mark," and

"at the conclusion of the reading, a closing quotation mark must be used." MR. PATEL: Reading from page 12, line 4:

"Q. Where were you on the night of June 3?

"A. At home.

"Q. Alone?

"A. Yes."

MR. PATEL: Nothing further from the deposition.

Words used as words

Put a word or phrase in quotation marks when the speaker is talking about the word itself:

• MR. McHENRY: Judge, I'm going to object to the term "seemed to be over it." (Scalini key)
• Q. When you say, "A situation like this," how would you define this situation? (Scalini key)
• Titles

AAERT's paragraphing sample puts a film title in quotation marks: I certainly wouldn't, not after seeing "Titanic." Short works and, in plain-text transcripts, other titles are commonly quoted. Italics are covered in Chapter 10.

Nested quotations

A quotation inside a quotation uses single quotation marks:

• A. She told me, "He kept saying, 'I have a gun,' over and over."
• Where other punctuation goes (American style)

Mark Placement Example

Period, comma Always inside He said, "I'm fine," and left.

Colon, semicolon Always outside He called it "a mistake"; I disagreed.

Question mark, exclamation point Inside if the quoted words are the question or exclamation; outside if the whole sentence is He asked, "Where's the baby?" / Did he say "confidential"?

• Dash for an interrupted quote Inside, where the words stop He said, "I want to talk to --"
• Interrupted quotations

When the quoted speaker's sentence is broken by the witness's own words, close and reopen the quotation:

"I'd like to," she said, "but I can't."

AAERT's Scalini key shows a quote interrupted by the speaker's own restart:

• And you had sent him a text or called him to say, "I'd like to" -- "I want to talk to you."
• Common errors

Quoting a paraphrase: He said "that he would come later." The word that marks indirect speech, so no quotation marks.

Missing the capital: a full-sentence quotation starts with a capital letter: He said, "We're not going to..."

Putting the period outside: ...the term "seemed to be over it". In American style, the period goes inside.

Quoting the whole answer. A witness's own testimony is never put in quotation marks just because it is important. Quotation marks show a repeated utterance or text, not emphasis.

Practice

Audio: she told me he said I have a gun → She told me he said, "I have a gun." The witness is reporting his exact words.

Audio: she told me he said that he had a gun → She told me he said that he had a gun. Indirect: no quotation marks.

Audio: counsel reads from Exhibit 7 the parties agree to arbitrate all disputes → MS. LEE: Exhibit 7 says, "The parties agree to arbitrate all disputes." Confirm the wording against the exhibit if you have it.

Audio: what do you mean by the word soon → What do you mean by the word "soon"? A word used as a word, inside a question that belongs to the whole sentence.