Why Use Quotation & Citation Tags in HTML?

1. blockquote - For Long Quotations

Used for quoting large sections of text from another source.

Syntax:

<blockquote cite="https://example.com">
  This is a long quote from another website or book.
</blockquote>

Output:

This is a long quote from another website or book.

Optional cite attribute (not visible) tells browsers/search engines where the quote came from.

2. q - For Short Inline Quotes

Used for short quotations inside a sentence. It automatically adds quotation marks.

Syntax:

<p>She said, <q>Always be kind to others.</q></p>

Output:

She said, "Always be kind to others."

The browser adds double quotes automatically.

q - For Short Inline Quotes

3. cite - For Citing Titles

Used to cite the title of a creative work (books, movies, songs, websites).

Syntax:

<p><cite>The Great Gatsby</cite> is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.</p>

Output:

The Great Gatsby is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The browser usually italicizes the cited title.

4. abbr - For Abbreviations (Bonus)

Not a quote, but related to citations and clarity. It explains abbreviations using a tooltip.

Example:

<p><abbr title="World Health Organization">WHO</abbr> was founded in 1948.</p>

Output:

WHO (hover to see "World Health Organization")

Summary Table

Best Practices

• Use blockquote for full sentences or paragraphs quoted from sources
• Use q for short quotes in the middle of text
• Use cite for book names, movies, etc.
• Always include cite="" URLs for SEO and accessibility
• Don't use these tags just for styling — they have semantic meaning

Quick Example Using All Tags

<p>As <cite>Albert Einstein</cite> once said:</p>
<blockquote cite="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes">
  Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.
</blockquote>
<p>He also said, <q>Imagination is more important than knowledge.</q></p>

Output:

As Albert Einstein once said:

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

He also said, Imagination is more important than knowledge.