Does a period go before or after quotation marks?
Group Potency: "The shared belief that among team members that they can be an effective team”.
or should it be
Group Potency: “The shared belief that among team members that they can be an effective team.”
Group Potency: "The shared belief that among team members that they can be an effective team”.
or should it be
Group Potency: “The shared belief that among team members that they can be an effective team.”
1 Answer
In American style, the period always comes before the closing quotation marks. In the British style, the placement of the period depends upon whether the period is logically part of the quoted material.
Explanation:
The American style was developed based on typography. When setting up type, requiring the period to precede the quotation marks allowed better kerning.
The advantage of the American style is that it provided an invariant (although not always logical) rule.
In the British style, the period is placed inside the quotation marks if it is logically belongs there. It is place after the quotation marks if it is not logically part of the quoted material.
Some Examples:
She said, "Come up and see me sometime."
#color(white)("XXX")# -both American and British.The book I am currently reading is titled "Bo's Sheep."
#color(white)("XXX")# -American style.
The book I am currently reading is titled "Bo's Sheep".
#color(white)("XXX")# -British style.
For the example sited in the question, the correct answer might be dependent on local rules.
