HTML5 Handbook

HTML Quotation Elements

Quotations and Related Tags in HTML are used for quotes, citations, abbreviations, and contact details. They provide semantic meaning to the text, making it clearer for readers while also improving readability, accessibility, and SEO. By using these tags, browsers, search engines, and screen readers can better understand the purpose of the text, which makes webpages more user-friendly and meaningful.

<blockquote> – Block Quotation

• Used for longer quotes (multi-line or paragraph-sized).
• Browsers usually indent the text block for readability.
• Can also include a cite attribute to indicate the source URL.

Example:

<blockquote cite="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes">
  The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.
</blockquote>

Output : 

<q> – Short Inline Quotation

• Used for short quotations that appear inside a sentence.
• Browsers usually add quotation marks (“ ”) automatically.
• Best for small phrases or single-line quotes.

Example: 

<p>Albert Einstein once said, <q>Imagination is more important than knowledge.</q></p>

Output :

<cite> – Citation for a Work

• Represents the title of a work (book, article, research paper, movie, website, etc.).

• Browsers usually display <cite> in italic.
• It does not mean “author” — only the work title.

Example:

<p><cite>The Great Gatsby</cite> was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.</p>

output : 

When to use: For titles of creative works (not author names).

<abbr> – Abbreviations and Acronyms

• Not a quotation, but often paired with citations.

• Provides the full form of an abbreviation.

• Improves accessibility — users can hover to see the meaning.

Example: 

<p><abbr title="HyperText Markup Language">HTML</abbr> is the standard language for creating web pages.</p>

Output :

When to use: For acronyms or short forms to clarify meaning.

<address> – Contact Information (Related to Author/Owner)

• Sometimes used with citations to show the author’s contact info.

• Usually displayed in italic and with a line break.

Example:

<address>
  Written by John Doe.<br>
  Visit us at: www.example.com<br>
  City, Country
</address>

Output : 

When to use: For author or owner contact details, not general quotes.