HTML: the blockquote element

The <blockquote> element marks a longer quotation taken from another source.

Long quotation

<blockquote cite="https://example.com/article">
  The web should work for everyone.
</blockquote>
<p>Source: <cite>Web accessibility guide</cite></p>

The cite attribute can hold the source URL for a quotation. It is metadata and may not be visible, so provide a visible source link or description when readers need to verify the quote.

Short quotation

<p>The guide says, <q>design for everyone</q>.</p>

Use <q> when the quoted text is short and flows within a paragraph. Browsers may add quotation marks, but do not rely on punctuation alone to identify the source.

Source titles

The <cite> element identifies the title of a creative work, such as a book, article, film, or report. A person's name is not, by itself, a work title; keep it as normal text.

Common mistakes

• Using <blockquote> for visual indentation without a real quotation.
• Assuming the cite attribute automatically displays a source link.
• Using <cite> around a person's name instead of a work title.
• Using <blockquote> for a short phrase that belongs in a paragraph.