Are Block Quotes Double Spaced?

It depends on the style guide: MLA and APA use double spacing for block quotes, while Chicago often uses single spacing in published work.

If you’ve ever stared at a long quote and thought, “Wait… do I double-space this too?”, you’re not alone. Block quotes can look “right” in two different ways, and the rule changes by style guide, class, and the kind of document you’re turning in.

This page gives you a clean answer, then the checks that keep you from losing points: what MLA wants, what APA wants, what Chicago often does, and how to set it up in Word or Google Docs without wrecking the rest of your spacing.

Fast Spacing Rules By Style And Submission Type

Start here. Then match your assignment sheet, your instructor’s notes, or the journal’s manuscript rules. If those override the style guide, follow the assignment sheet.

Context	Common Block Quote Spacing	What To Check Before You Submit
MLA student paper	Double-spaced	Indent 0.5 inch; keep same spacing as the paper
APA student paper	Double-spaced	Indent 0.5 inch; no quote marks; add citation after punctuation
Chicago/Turabian class paper	Often double-spaced	Many courses want the full paper double-spaced, block quote included
Chicago for published prose	Often single-spaced	Journals may single-space extracts and add space above/below
Law review / legal writing	Varies by house style	Check the journal’s style sheet; don’t guess
Business report	Usually single-spaced block	Match the report’s overall spacing and readability rules
Online article or blog post	Often single-spaced	Use indentation and typography; keep it easy to scan
Poetry or drama quotation	Varies	Line breaks, indentation, and margins can matter more than spacing

Most of the time in school writing, yes. If your whole paper is double-spaced, many instructors expect the block quote to stay double-spaced so the page looks consistent and easy to mark up.

Still, there’s a second “correct” look you’ll see in books and journals: block quotes set tighter (often single-spaced) with a little extra space above and below. That’s normal in publishing workflows, and it’s one reason people get confused when they bounce between academic submissions and polished print layouts.

Are Block Quotes Double Spaced In MLA Format For Essays

In MLA-style student writing, block quotations stay double-spaced. The block starts on a new line, and the full quotation is indented from the left margin. The quote marks drop out because the indentation is doing the visual work.

If you want the cleanest reference, Purdue OWL states that MLA block quotations keep double spacing and are indented from the left margin while staying part of the normal text flow. See MLA Formatting Quotations.

MLA Block Quote Spacing Checklist

Put the block quote on its own line.
Indent the whole block from the left margin (many templates use 0.5 inch).
Keep the same line spacing as the rest of the paper (often double).
Drop quotation marks around the block.
Place the parenthetical citation after the closing punctuation, unless your instructor says otherwise.

MLA Trap That Causes Random Extra Space

Word processors love to sneak in “space before” or “space after” a paragraph style. If your block quote suddenly has a gap above it, or your block looks like it has blank lines even when it doesn’t, check Paragraph settings for spacing before/after. Set both to 0 pt if your instructor wants a tight, consistent manuscript look.

Are Block Quotes Double Spaced In APA Papers

APA is the least ambiguous: keep block quotations double-spaced. APA’s guidance also keeps the indent simple and consistent, and it treats the block quote as part of the same spacing rule used for the rest of the paper.

The APA Style site says to start the block quotation on a new line, indent it from the left margin, and double-space the entire block. You can verify the wording on APA Style’s quotations guidance.

APA Block Quote Mechanics That Get Missed

Use a block quote for longer quotations (many classes use 40+ words as the cutoff).
Indent the whole block 0.5 inch from the left margin.
Do not add quotation marks around the block.
If the block has multiple paragraphs, indent the first line of each paragraph inside the block.
Put the in-text citation at the end of the block, after the final punctuation, in the format your paper uses.

APA Spacing That Looks Wrong But Is Right

Some students single-space the block to “make it look like a quote.” In APA, that move usually costs points. APA papers are meant to be readable and editable in draft form, so the spacing stays consistent across the page.

Chicago Block Quote Spacing In Plain Terms

Chicago style shows up in two worlds: class papers (often Turabian-based) and published writing. Those worlds can format block quotes differently.

In many classes, a Chicago-style manuscript is double-spaced from top to bottom, block quotes included. In published books and journals, you’ll often see block quotes set off as extracts with tighter spacing, sometimes single-spaced, plus a little space above and below. Both can be normal, depending on the submission rules you’re following.

If you’re working from a course rubric, treat the rubric as the boss. If you’re submitting to a journal, follow the journal’s author guidelines, even when they depart from what you’ve seen in class.

Chicago Clues That You Should Single-Space The Block

You’re formatting a finished layout (book chapter, magazine-style piece, portfolio PDF).
The surrounding text is single-spaced and uses paragraph spacing for readability.
The document already uses typographic hierarchy (font size, spacing, margins) to separate elements.

Chicago Clues That You Should Double-Space The Block

You’re turning in a draft manuscript for grading.
Your instructor wants full double spacing for easy markup.
Your assignment sheet calls for double spacing across the full document.

How To Set Block Quote Spacing In Word Without Breaking Your Paper

Most spacing disasters come from two settings: line spacing and paragraph spacing. Fix those, and your block quote behaves.

Method That Works In Microsoft Word

Select the quoted text you want to convert into a block quote.
Open the Paragraph dialog (Home tab → Paragraph section → small arrow).
Set Left indentation to your class standard (often 0.5 inch).
Set line spacing to match your paper (often Double for MLA and APA).
Set Spacing Before and After to 0 pt if your instructor wants no extra gaps.
Remove quotation marks around the block quotation.

Two Word Settings That Cause “Mystery” Gaps

Spacing After: Word may add a gap after paragraphs by default in some templates.
Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style: turning this on can stop uneven spacing when the block quote uses a different style.

How To Set Block Quote Spacing In Google Docs Cleanly

Google Docs is simpler, but it still hides paragraph spacing behind menus.

Highlight the block quotation text.
Format → Align & indent → Indentation options → set Left indent (often 0.5 inch).
Format → Line & paragraph spacing → choose Double if your paper is double-spaced.
Then check “Add space before paragraph” and “Add space after paragraph.” Turn them off if your instructor wants no extra gaps around the block.

Docs can also keep a “Normal text” line spacing that differs from your selected block. If the block quote looks off, re-apply the line spacing after setting the indent.

When A Block Quote Should Not Be Double Spaced

This is the part that saves you from copying the wrong look from a published page. A lot of published writing uses single-spaced extracts because it reads smoothly and looks less bulky on the page.

Single spacing tends to show up when the document is already designed for reading, not grading. Think newsletters, magazines, book interiors, and web pages with roomy paragraph spacing. In that setup, a double-spaced block can look like it’s shouting.

So if your context is layout-driven, single spacing can be the better match. If your context is school formatting rules, double spacing is usually the safe bet.

Common Grading Notes About Block Quote Spacing

Instructors often grade block quotes on consistency, not aesthetics. They want the page to follow the rule set they taught, and they want quotations to be easy to spot and easy to cite.

Small Errors That Get Marked Fast

Leaving quotation marks around the block quotation.
Forgetting to indent the block from the left margin.
Mixing spacing inside the block (some lines double, some lines single).
Using a different font size inside the block.
Dropping the citation, or placing it in the wrong spot for the required style.

What To Do When Instructions Conflict

If your instructor says “single-space block quotes,” do that, even if your style guide example looks double-spaced. Your grade follows the class rule. Save a copy of the instructions, then match the look exactly and keep the rest of the paper consistent.

Quick Fix Table For Spacing Problems

Problem You See	Likely Cause	Fix That Usually Works
Block quote has extra blank space above	Paragraph “Space Before” is set	Set Space Before to 0 pt for the block quote paragraphs
Block quote has extra blank space below	Paragraph “Space After” is set	Set Space After to 0 pt, or match the rest of the paper
Only some lines are double-spaced	Mixed formatting in the selection	Select the whole block and re-apply the line spacing
Indent is too wide	Tabs or multiple indents stacked	Clear tabs, then set one left indent value
Citation sits on its own line	Extra line break before citation	Delete the break so the citation follows the final punctuation
Block quote looks smaller or different font	Style changed the font	Match the document font; use indentation, not font changes
Block quote won’t stay double-spaced	Template style overrides manual formatting	Modify the block quote style or apply spacing after clearing formatting

A Simple Rule You Can Apply In Seconds

If you’re still stuck on the core question—are block quotes double spaced?—run this quick check:

If your paper is MLA or APA, keep the block quote double-spaced.
If your paper is Chicago for class, match your instructor’s spacing rule.
If you’re formatting a designed piece, single spacing with space above/below is common.
When in doubt, pick consistency across the page and match the instructions you’ll be graded on.

That’s it. No guesswork, no wrestling with random templates, and no losing points over spacing that your reader won’t even notice once you match the expected style.