How To Cite A Quote Inside A Quote APA | Nested Citation Rules

Nested quotations tend to make even calm writers pause. You are trying to capture someone else’s words inside a passage that is already quoted, follow American punctuation habits, and still keep the citation in clean APA shape.

This guide walks through how to cite a quote inside a quote APA style from start to finish. You will see how the quotation marks work, where commas and periods land, how to format the author, year, and page, and what to do when the source you read is already quoting yet another writer.

How To Cite A Quote Inside A Quote APA In Student Papers

When teachers talk about how to cite a quote inside a quote APA style, they usually mean a short direct quotation (fewer than 40 words) that already contains quoted words. APA treats this as a nested quotation. The outer quotation keeps the standard double quotation marks, and the inner quoted words switch to single quotation marks.

Here is a simple pattern using a parenthetical citation:

Lopez wrote, “The coach warned the team, ‘You only get one chance to show your effort,’ before the final drill” (Lopez, 2023, p. 18).

In that sentence, the full sentence from Lopez sits inside double quotation marks. The coach’s spoken line sits inside single quotation marks. The period lands after the parenthetical citation, not inside the closing quotation mark.

Step By Step Pattern For Short Nested Quotes

You can treat each nested quote as a small puzzle. Follow this sequence each time you quote a quote in APA:

1. Copy the original passage and locate the inner quoted words.
2. Place double quotation marks around the full passage you want to quote.
3. Change the inner quotation marks to single quotation marks.
4. Add your parenthetical or narrative citation in standard APA format.
5. Place the final period after the closing parenthesis for a parenthetical citation.

The same pattern applies when you use a narrative citation. In that case, the author and year appear in the sentence, and only the page number sits in parentheses at the end.

Common Nested Quotation Situations In APA Style

Situation	Quotation Marks	Short Example
Short quote < 40 words with spoken line inside	Double outside, single inside	“She shouted, ‘Run now'” (Nguyen, 2022, p. 9).
Short quote < 40 words with quoted term inside	Double outside, single inside	“The panel used the label ‘high risk’ for that group” (Ali, 2020, p. 44).
Narrative citation with nested quote	Double outside, single inside	Martinez (2021) noted, “The manager said, ‘We start at dawn'” (p. 7).
Question mark inside inner quote only	Punctuation inside single marks	“He asked, ‘Are you sure?’ before signing” (Reed, 2019, p. 31).
Exclamation point inside inner quote only	Punctuation inside single marks	“The crowd yelled, ‘Go home!’ during the speech” (Ortiz, 2018, p. 12).
Quoted word inside block quote	Single marks inside indented block	Block quote with ‘inner term’ marked by single quotation marks.
Secondary source (“as cited in”)	Standard marks, no extra layer	“Original line” (Garcia, 2015, as cited in Brown, 2022, p. 50).

When A Nested Quote Turns Into A Block Quote

If the passage you need is 40 words or more, APA asks for a block quote. You drop the quotation marks for the outer quote and indent the full passage as a block. The inner quoted words still use single quotation marks.

Set the block as a new paragraph, indent the whole block half an inch, keep double spacing, and place the citation after the final punctuation. This layout makes long nested quotations easier to read and grade.

Quotation Marks And Punctuation In APA Nested Quotes

American English and APA style both treat double quotation marks as the default. Single quotation marks only step in for a quote inside a quote. That pattern helps readers see which speaker or writer each part belongs to.

Here are points that matter when you handle punctuation around nested quotes in APA style:

• Place commas and periods inside the closing quotation mark for the quoted material but outside the quotation when a parenthetical citation follows.
• Keep question marks and exclamation points inside the single quotation marks if they belong to the inner quote.
• If the entire sentence is a question, place the question mark after the closing quotation mark and before the citation.

Official APA guidelines on quotations explain that quotation marks are not needed around block quotations of 40 words or more. The indentation signals the quotation instead. When that block contains an inner quote, single quotation marks still help the reader see the extra layer of quoted words.

Examples Of Punctuation Around Quotes Inside Quotes

Short practice sentences often clear away confusion. Each of these follows APA rules for nested quotations and punctuation:

• Parenthetical: “The nurse whispered, ‘You will be fine,’ during the test” (Jensen, 2021, p. 4).
• Narrative: Kim (2020) wrote, “The supervisor warned, ‘This policy starts today'” (p. 77).
• Question: “The student asked, ‘Will this be on the exam?'” (Lee, 2019, p. 102).

Notice that the double quotation marks always claim the larger quoted sentence, and the single quotation marks always mark the smaller quoted fragment inside it.

In Text Citations For Quotes Inside Quotes

So far, the examples have centered on punctuation and quotation marks. The citation itself still follows the normal APA pattern: author, year, and page or paragraph number. When you write how to cite a quote inside a quote apa in your own paper, you still rely on the same author date system you use for any other direct quotation.

Parenthetical And Narrative Formats

For a parenthetical citation, place the author’s surname, the year, and the page number at the end of the sentence. For a narrative citation, weave the author and year into the sentence and keep only the page number in parentheses.

Parenthetical pattern:

“The principal told the staff, ‘We will review this next week'” (Morgan, 2020, p. 6).

Narrative pattern:

Morgan (2020) reported, “The principal told the staff, ‘We will review this next week'” (p. 6).

In each case, the elements inside the parentheses match standard APA in text citation rules. The nested quotation only changes the quotation marks, not the author and date structure. For more patterns, the Purdue OWL in text citation guide shows the same author date layout in different contexts.

Multiple Authors And Missing Page Numbers

Nested quotations also appear in sources written by two or more authors or in web pages with no page numbers. In those cases, follow the same author format you would use anywhere else in APA and then add the nested quotation.

• Two authors parenthetical: “The coach yelled, ‘Run again'” (Patel & Singh, 2022, p. 11).
• Three or more authors: “The director said, ‘Start over'” (Rivera et al., 2021, para. 5).
• No page numbers: “The speaker claimed, ‘This result matters'” (Taylor, 2019, “Results” section).

If your instructor wants a locator for a source without page numbers, use a paragraph number, heading title, or both. The presence of a nested quote does not change that request.

Secondary Sources And Quotes Inside Quotes

Sometimes how to cite a quote inside a quote apa means something slightly different. You may have a situation where your article or book is quoting another writer. That second voice is the original source, and you only saw it because your current author quoted it. APA calls this a secondary source.

The Publication Manual encourages writers to track down the original work when that is practical. When that cannot happen, you use the phrase “as cited in” to show that you read a quotation in a secondary source. In the reference list, you only include the work you actually read.

For example, suppose you are reading a study by Nguyen published in 2022. In that study, Nguyen quotes a 2010 article by Flores. You want to use Flores’s exact words, but you only have Nguyen’s article in front of you. Your in text citation would look like this:

“Students gained confidence once they saw progress” (Flores, 2010, as cited in Nguyen, 2022, p. 14).

Here, Flores is the original author. Nguyen is the source you held in your hands. The phrase “as cited in” shows that you are quoting a quote in an APA secondary source rather than the original article.

When To Avoid Secondary Source Quotations

Secondary sources are allowed in APA style, but instructors often ask students to limit them. Whenever the original work is easy to find, reading that work helps you understand the full context and reduces the risk of errors. Save secondary source quotations for rare or out of print material and for cases where the original language is not accessible to you.

Citing A Quote Within A Quote In APA Style Across Paper Sections

Nesting quotations can appear in any section of an academic paper. The same rules apply in an introduction, literature review, methods section, or discussion. What changes is the way you frame the quoted material around your own analysis and claims.

In a literature review, writers often quote short phrases from a participant or a main sentence from an article that already includes inner quotation marks. In a discussion section, writers sometimes repeat a striking line from a participant interview. In each area, keep the outer double quotation marks, change the inner marks to single ones, and follow the correct APA in text citation format.

Integrating Nested Quotes Smoothly

A quote within a quote should never feel dropped into a paragraph. Lead into it with your own words, present the nested quotation, and then follow it with a sentence or two that explains why the line matters. That pattern keeps the source working for your thesis instead of pulling attention away from it.

Frequent Problems With Quotes Inside Quotes In APA

Problem	What Goes Wrong	Better APA Version
Using double marks for both layers	Reader cannot tell which words are inside the inner quote.	Swap inner marks to single quotation marks.
Leaving the period inside the quotation	Period lands before the citation for a short quote.	Move the period after the parenthetical citation.
Dropping the page number	Direct quote lacks a locator, which APA expects.	Add a page or paragraph number for direct quotes.
Omitting “as cited in”	Reader thinks you saw the original source when you did not.	Use “as cited in” for secondary sources.
Overusing long nested quotes	Paper fills up with long blocks that interrupt your own voice.	Paraphrase when possible and reserve direct quotes for standout lines.
Mixing single and double marks randomly	Quotation pattern shifts from sentence to sentence.	Keep double marks outside and single marks inside every time.
Skipping context around a nested quote	Reader cannot see how the quote supports your point.	Introduce and explain each nested quote in your own words.

Quick Reference Checklist For APA Nested Quotations

When you face another nested quotation, use this short checklist before you submit your paper:

• Outer quotation marks are double; inner quotation marks are single.
• Short nested quotes keep the period after the parenthetical citation.
• Block quotations of 40 words or more drop the outer quotation marks.
• Each direct quotation includes author, year, and a page or paragraph number.
• Secondary sources use the phrase “as cited in” and list only the work you read in the reference list.
• Every nested quote is introduced and followed by your own commentary.

Once you apply these patterns a few times, how to cite a quote inside a quote apa will feel less like a puzzle and more like a routine part of careful academic writing.