CAW LibGuides: Punctuation for Academic Writing

Resource focus

The aim of this handout is to provide a guide for accurate and effective punctuation use. It defines the usage of a range of different types of punctuation you might expect to use in your academic writing and provides examples of their accurate usage.

The examples in this handout use the APA 7^th edition referencing style; however, the guidance applies to academic writing using any style of referencing. 

Full Stop (also known as a period)

A full stop is used to end a sentence. A sentence can be considered as a grammatically complete unit of speech. When reading aloud, a full stop implies a slightly longer pause than a comma.

Comma

The comma has many uses, leading some to consider it one of the trickier punctuation marks. Commas can be used to

• Separate the grammatical components of a sentence.
• Signal the pauses that a sentence would have if it were spoken.
• Separate items in a list.
• For stylistic reasons.

Some examples:

      To separate the grammatical components of a sentence

Anchovies are sometimes placed on pizza, but I do not like them.

This is an example of a compound sentence (a sentence containing two independent clauses), with commas separating two.

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject (a word depicting a person or thing doing or being something) and a verb (a word depicting an action, event, or state of being). In a clause, the subject and verb must relate to one another:

Subject	verb
The cat	ran

Clauses can also contain objects, amongst other things, which can be understood as the thing or person acted upon by the verb:

Subject	verb	object
The cat	ate	the pizza
Anchovies	are sometimes placed	on pizza
I	do not like	them

 

 

 

 

 

An independent clause is called so because they would make sense on their own as separate sentences. All three examples in the table above are independent clauses.

Compound sentences typically use a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses. In the first example, ‘, but’ is the coordinating conjunction, but it is not the only one that would make sense:

Anchovies are sometimes placed on pizza, and I do not like them.

In the above example, we can see that the different words used to connect the two clauses subtly change the ways they relate to each other.

Anchovies, which I do not like, are sometimes placed on pizza.

In the above example two commas are used to separate the subordinate clause, ‘which I do not like’, from the sentence’s main clause. A subordinate clause is a non-essential clause joined to an independent clause—if it were removed from the sentence, the sentence would still make sense.

     To separate items in a list

This pizza is topped with cheese, tomato, and anchovies.

The Oxford Comma:

The oxford (or serial) comma is the final comma included in a list before the word ‘and’: In the above example, it is the comma after tomato. It is debated whether this comma is grammatically necessary. It would also be acceptable to write the following:

This pizza is topped with cheese, tomato and anchovies.

The use of the Oxford comma is generally down to personal choice, although many believe that it clears up confusion (Ted-Ed, 2014). 

A common comma error: the comma splice

Many people don’t like anchovies, I believe that anchovy use should be moderated in pizza restaurants.

This is an example of a run-on sentence, caused by two independent clauses being incorrectly connected with just a comma. To fix this we could split the clauses into two sentences:

Many people don’t like anchovies. I believe that anchovy use should be moderated in pizza restaurants.

We could also use a coordinating conjunction to join them grammatically:

Many people don’t like anchovies, consequently I believe that anchovy use should be moderated in pizza restaurants

Colon

Colons are another useful punctuation mark. They can be used

• To introduce a list.
• To join two independent clauses together when the second clause explains or illustrates the first.
• To embed a quote within your sentence.

Some examples:

To introduce a list

There are many things wrong with the world: Greed, hatred, anchovies in pizza.

To join two independent clauses

Pizza making could easily go wrong: You could include anchovies.

To embed a quote

There is much helpful advice on correct referencing, for example: “If the information came from outside your own head, cite the source” (Harris, 2017, p. 124).

Semicolon

It can be tricky to remember exactly when to use a semicolon. They can be used

• To connect two related independent clauses.
• To separate longer items in a complex list.

Semicolons cannot be used to join an independent clause to a dependent clause. In any case, it is always worth considering whether a semicolon is the right punctuation mark to express your meaning simply and concisely. Sometimes it is better to join independent clauses together with a coordinating conjunction, or simply make two sentences instead!

Some examples:

      To connect two related independent clauses

“In formal writing, every sentence has to be grammatically cohesive in order to be clear and comprehensible; it has to hang together as a unit” (Peck & Cole, 2012, p. 4).

It would also be grammatically correct for Peck and Cole to have written the two clauses either as separate sentences, or with a coordinating conjunction as we saw above.

You will frequently see semicolons used in conjunction with conjunctive adverbs:

Anchovies are sometimes placed on pizza; however, I do not like them.

I propose that we ban anchovies from restaurants; moreover, I propose that they are taken out of production entirely.

Anchovies are a good source of protein; nevertheless, I do not like them.

To separate longer items in a complex list.

There are several components to this pizza: cheese, which I like; tomatoes, which are tolerable; anchovies, which are not.

Where you need to make more complex lists, semicolons can offer a particularly elegant solution that clearly separates out longer list items. However, it is also easy to over-complicate your writing by overusing semicolons. Look to cultivate clarity above all!

Brackets [ ] and Parentheses ( )

Square brackets [ ]

These are used to show editorial additions to quotations. This is useful because it clearly marks when you have changed a quote to make it fit your own writing. A particularly valuable use of square brackets is for shortening a longer passage into a more concise quotation. In this instance, you would use an ellipsis (three dots …) to show that the original text runs on in between the parts of the extract you provide. To demonstrate that this is your editorial change, you would place your ellipsis inside square brackets.

For example:

“A carefully crafted sentence welcomes its reader like a comfortable rocking chair […] helps its reader navigate tricky terrain like a well-hewn walking stick. A poorly crafted or uncrafted sentence, on the other hand, functions more like a shapeless log tossed into a river: it might or might not help you get to the other side” (Sword, 2012, p. 48).

Round brackets or parentheses ( )

These are used to provide additional information. They might be used in a similar way to how you use commas:

Anchovies, which I do not like, are sometimes placed on pizza.

Anchovies (which I do not like) are sometimes placed on pizza.

Both of these examples are grammatically correct. It can be useful to think of parenthesis as like an aside to your reader—additional, non-essential information contained within a sentence. Likewise, you can also use parentheses in a complex list like so:

There are several components to this pizza: cheese (which I like); tomatoes, (which are tolerable); anchovies (which are not).

As always, take caution not to overcomplicate a sentence: The most effective sentence is often the one that expresses itself clearly and concisely.

The most important thing to remember is that both square brackets and parentheses come in pairs. If you open a set, make sure you close it.

Quotation Marks

Use either single ‘’ or double “” quotation marks to demonstrate when you are directly quoting text from other sources. Take a look at the examples in this handout to see how they are used alongside in-text citations to make the origins of texts clear.

As a general rule, in the UK, single quotation marks are the traditional convention, whereas double quotation marks are conventionally used in the US. However, you should check for any departmental or disciplinary guidelines as this may change from one context to another. You should always be consistent about which quotation style you use. In the table below you can find some other cultural differences as adapted from the APA style blog (Lee, 2011).

Style issue	American style	British Style
To enclose a quotation, use …	Double quotation marks	Single quotation marks
To enclose a quotation within a quotation, use …	Single quotation marks	Double quotation marks
Place periods and commas …	Inside quotation marks	Outside quotation marks
Place punctuation (colons, semi-colons, question marks, etc.) …	Outside quotation marks*	Outside quotation marks*

*Place other punctuation inside quotation marks when that punctuation is part of what is being quoted, such as a quoted question.

Apostrophe

An apostrophe is used to denote either possession (that something belongs to someone or something else) or omission (when a letter or portion of a word is missed out, as happens in contractions.

Some examples of apostrophes that denote possession:

Drake’s Revenge     The government’s policy    Foucault’s analysis

1960’s music      Friday’s jam session        Jeremy Bentham’s head

If the noun is plural (i.e. there is more than one of the noun), and it is possessive, then the apostrophe goes after the ‘s’:

The soldiers’ misfortune (the misfortune of many soldiers)

The soldier’s misfortune (the misfortune of one soldier)

Some examples of apostrophes that denote omission

Won’t  (will not)               Don’t  (do not)  Can’t  (cannot) I’ll  (I will)

A tricky case!

It’s (it is)                              Its (belonging to a thing already mentioned)

In the case of ‘it’s’, an apostrophe should only be used when you mean to say ‘it is’, and never to denote possession.

In any case, omission is generally inappropriate for the level of formality required in academic writing. Try not to use contractions!

Hyphens (-) and Dashes (–)

Hyphens (-)

These are used to join together two separate words meant to be read together as a single idea. For example:

There must be a record-breaking number of anchovies on this pizza.

In this example, ‘record’ and ‘breaking’ are joined together by a hyphen because they are acting as an adjective – in this case, a way to describe the number of anchovies.

However, take care if you are hyphenating nouns, as there can be some variation in whether you should use a hyphen or not:

Sixteenth-century society (sixteenth century is hyphenated because it is adjectivally describing society)

Society in the sixteenth century (here, sixteenth century is a noun, and is not hyphenated)

Dashes (–)

These are longer than hyphens and are used to signal that the writer is moving to summarise an idea or to signal a change in thought.

For example:

“The better you know how language operates, the better you’ll be able to ‘sell’ it – and yourself – when writing” (Palmer, 2002, p. xviii).

In the above example, the dash encloses a brief aside within the sentence.

“People who do well at a task tend to spend longer grappling with the difficult parts. They refuse to find that they can’t find a way – they don’t let the problem beat them” (Cottrell, 2019, p. 42).

In the above example, the dash signals a movement in thought, moving from one idea to the next. We might consider them to essentially be doing the same job that we saw parentheses doing above.

References and Further Reading

Cottrell, S. (2019). The Study Skills Handbook (5^th ed.). Red Globe Press.

Harris, R. (2017). Using sources effectively: Strengthening your writing and avoiding plagiarism (4^th ed.). Routledge.

Lee, C. (2011). Punctuating Around Quotation Marks. APA Style Blog. http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/08/punctuating-around-quotation-marks.html

Palmer, R. (2002). Write in style: A guide to good English. (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Peck, J., & Coyle, M. (2012). The student's guide to writing: Spelling, punctuation and grammar (3^rd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Sword, H. (2012). Stylish academic writing. Harvard University Press.

Ted-Ed. (2014, March 17). Grammar’s great divide: The Oxford comma [animated video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptM7FzyjtR

To cite this resource

Coventry University. (2023). Punctuation: A guide to common punctuation marks for academic writing.  Student resource. Centre for Academic Writing.

To think more about punctuation and sentence construction, you might want to attend the CAW workshop Sentence Construction: Writing Cohesively in your Academic Assignments.

CAW offers writing development workshops across all genres of academic writing.  To view available workshops and book online, visit: https://libcal.coventry.ac.uk/calendar/caw

To book a one-to-one tutorial with the Centre for Academic Writing, visit: https://libguides.coventry.ac.uk/cawlibcalhome