Brackets / Parentheses
Use regular brackets (parentheses) to indicate a separate thought or expression within a sentence.
- She taught the statistics course (one of the toughest in the curriculum) for 15 years.
Regular brackets can be used to offer an explanation or definition of a term or an acronym that is to be repeated within the text.
- The Proctor Scholarship (York’s largest and most prestigious entrance scholarship) was won by a student from Sudbury, Ontario.
- The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) has honoured two York professors. This year’s teaching award recipients were announced by OCUFA officials at the spring meeting.
Use brace or square brackets within a direct quote to indicate words of explanation that are not actually part of the original quotation.
- "Those enrolling in it [the master’s program] should know that the requirement is six full credits and a thesis," said Professor Jones.
Avoid nested parentheses ([ ]) or square brackets inside round brackets, whenever possible.