Em-Dash Attribution
The em-dash convention for attributing a freestanding quote (— Author).
The em-dash attribution is the convention of placing an em-dash before the author's name when a quotation stands on its own: “Be kind.” — Anonymous. The dash is a visual cue that the line is over and the source is beginning, without forcing a full new sentence.
It is the dominant style on social-media quote cards, plaques, and posters, and is broadly accepted in books and magazines for epigraphs and pull quotes. The mark used is the em-dash (—), not the en-dash (–) and not a hyphen (-).
Stylistically, the em-dash attribution looks elegant only when the name is short. For a full citation with title, year, and publication, a separate line in smaller type works better.
“— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, IV.3”
Keep reading the glossary
The convention of citing only the author's name when quoting in casual writing.
A short, eye-catching quote lifted from an article and displayed in large type for emphasis.
A short quotation set at the beginning of a book, chapter, or essay to suggest its theme.
Square brackets mark editorial changes inside a quotation — clarifications, edits, or [sic].