quotation marks and end punctuation

[Michele Berkes 615-576-2352 <BERKESM -at- A1 -dot- OSTI -dot- GOV>]

To add some fodder to the discussion about logical placement of punctuation
with quotation marks, I offer this from the _The ACS Style Guide_, pp. 18-19
(ACS=American Chemical Society).

****Begin quotation****
Location of quotation marks is a style point in which ACS differs from other
authorities. In 1978, ACS questioned the practice and recommended a deviation
from it: logical placement. Thus, if the punctuation is part of the quotation,
then it should be within the quotation marks; if the punctuation is not part
of the quotation, the writer should not mislead the reader by inferring that
it is.

o  Place quotation marks before all punctuation that is not part of
   the original quotation. Place them after all punctuation that is
   part of the quotation.

     The sample solution was stirred briefly with a magnetic "flea".
     Ralph Waldo Emerson said "The reward of a thing well done is to
       have done it."

****End quotation****

The guide goes on to list other practical applications, all of which follow
the logical placement rule. Notice that ACS does not, however, suggest two
periods for the Emerson quote (one inside the quotation marks and one after),
so this does not strictly follow the mathematical logic brought up by someone
earlier.

Logical placement was the in-house style followed by another company I worked
for and is my preferred style as well. I think the rules will eventually bend
to our collective will, especially as such groups as MLA and ACS begin to
weigh in on the side of logic.

Michele
berkesm -at- a1 -dot- osti -dot- gov