ELLIPSIS POINTS
. . .
Ellipsis points are three dots inserted into quotes to indicate that you, or the author whom you’re
quoting, has omitted material (words, phrases, sentences, verses, paragraphs) from the original
source. Use them
- to indicate omissions in the middle of quotes
- to indicate omissions at the end of quotes
- but NOT to indicate omissions at the beginning of quotes
!!!
When the author whom you’re quoting also has used ellipses, use square brackets around your
ellipses to distinguish them from the author’s. Leave a space between each ellipsis point: . . . .
Let’s invent part of an imaginary essay to demonstrate how ellipsis points can be used. The
essay’s thesis is that Star Trek, although science fiction, makes use of several other types of
fiction adapted to a stellar locale. Here’s a quote from Allan Asherman's book The Star Trek
Compendium that we’ll employ to illustrate the essay’s thesis:
Many “Star Trek” episodes were written from an initial inspiration, a preexisting literary
or motion picture concept expressed in terms of the world of tomorrow. Usually, those
ideas were reworked so thoroughly it was difficult to spot the original inspiration. This
segment is a notable exception. Its dramatic situations are drawn largely from two
motion pictures about submarine warfare, Run Silent, Run Deep and The Enemy Below.
“Balance of Terror” is a war movie translated into science fiction terms: a confrontation
between a “surface vessel” (the Enterprise) and a “submarine” (the invisible Romulan
ship).
The cramped quarters of the Romulan bridge suggest a submarine-type
environment: there is even a monitor device that resembles a periscope (the Enterprise
chapel is just a redress of the transporter-room set). (40)
Let’s write our own sample paragraph in which we quote from Asherman but omit material:
Not only are some Star Trek episodes based on the idea of the frontier as we find it in
westerns, but Star Trek writers have also adapted the category of war movies. According to
Allan Asherman, the dramatic situations in “Balance of Terror”
1
are drawn largely from two motion pictures about submarine warfare, Run Silent,
2
Run Deep and The Enemy Below. “Balance of Terror” is a war movie . . . a
confrontation between a “surface vessel” (the Enterprise) and a “submarine” (the
invisible Romulan ship).
The cramped quarters of the Romulan bridge suggest a submarine-type
3
environment: there is even a monitor device that resembles a periscope. . . . (40)
1
Note the lack of ellipsis points at the BEGINNING of the indented quote between the
word Terror (the student’s own word) and are (the first word in the quote). Even if the
student’s own words lead into the quote with a colon, ellipsis points are not used at the
beginning; the fragmentary nature of the excerpt is obvious.
2
In the MIDDLE of the quote are three ellipsis points (between movie and a
confrontation) indicating that some material from the original source has been left out—
the phrase “translated into science fiction terms.”
3
With the omission at the END of the quote—“(the Enterprise chapel is just a redress of
the transporter-room set)”—three ellipsis points are used followed by the final period.
In an indented quote, the parenthetical page number is separated from the ellipsis points, whereas
in a quote appearing within the student’s paragraph the page number comes after the ellipsis
points and quotation marks but before the final period:
According to Asherman, “The cramped quarters of the Romulan bridge suggest a submarine-type
environment: there is even a monitor device that resembles a periscope . . .” (40). He also
In all cases when ellipses are used, the points are separated from one another by a space. Also,
ellipses are always placed within quotation marks when those marks are employed.
NEVER cram ellipsis points together:
X
“'Balance of Terror' is a war movie...a confrontation”
Except when omitting lines of poetry, NEVER use more than three ellipses:
X
“device that resembles a periscope . . . . . . .”
Any other punctuation mark that appears before ellipses is placed beside the word it follows, as
with the comma, below:

In the catalogue of extra-terrestrials assembled by the Federation, many humanoids are
listed: “Terrans, Romulans, Klingons, . . . Andorians, Vulcans, . . . Capellans.”
Any other punctuation mark that appears before a word that is preceded by ellipsis points is put
before the word, as with the semicolon, below:

“McCoy hates transporters . . . ; he prefers the shuttle.”