Punctuation: Ellipsis
An ellipsis ( ... ) consists of three evenly spaced periods and is used to indicate the omission of words or suggest an incomplete thought. In general, an ellipsis should be treated as a three-letter word, with a space, three periods and a space. (Â鶹´«Ã½ is ... nationally recognized and internationally engaged.)
Never delete words that are central to the original meaning. Do not use ellipses at the beginning or end of direct quotes when writing a news story.
Other guidelines and examples
When the words before an ellipsis make up a complete sentence, place a period before the ellipsis. (Â鶹´«Ã½ is a Â鶹´«Ã½-centered research university. ... ) When the phrase preceding an ellipsis calls for a question mark, exclamation point, comma or colon, the correct order is: phrase, punctuation mark, space, ellipsis, space, next phrase. (What is a healthy university? ... The ability to think beyond our individual and limited view.)