Avoid using. Use commas, dashes or parentheses instead. In quotations, however, brackets may be used to show the words in brackets were added or changed by the editor to clarify the meaning. Avoid altering quotations. If a speaker's words are clear and concise, use the full quotation. If cumbersome language can be paraphrased fairly, use an indirect construction. "We strongly disagree with the [Lincoln County] council's decision," she said. Square brackets also may be used occasionally to insert words into a statement that's already enclosed in parentheses.