The quickest way to add block quotes to a Microsoft Word document is to use the “Paragraph” settings that are visible in the “Layout” tab on the ribbon bar. To add a block quote using this menu, open your Word document and select your quote text. From the ribbon bar, click the “Layout” tab to display the “Paragraph” settings.

Block quotes in both the APA and MLA style must start on their own line and have indents to the left that are 0.5cm in size. In the APA style, block quotes must be at least 40 words in length, while in the MLA style, quotes must be at least four lines long. If you use a different academic style, please refer to your style guide to ensure that the indent sizing you use is correct.

As both APA and MLA use 0.5cm indents for block quotes, set the “Left Indent” value to “0.5 cm” and hit the enter key to confirm. Alternatively, use the arrow buttons on the right to increase the indent sizing using increments of 0.1cm.

This will change the indent size for the text you selected, creating a block quote in the process. You can then add formatting, such as italics, to make the text stand out further. You’ll need to repeat these steps for each additional block quote you add to your document.