The UVic Writer's Guide

Incomplete Quotations

Indicate material omitted from the quotation by ellipsis ( . . . )--three spaced periods, with a space before the first.
If the omitted passage comes after a complete sentence, use four spaced periods (the first is the sentence period).
You do not normally need to begin or end a quotation with ellipsis; if the quotation seems incomplete at the beginning or end, change the part you quote, or adjust your own sentence so that it fits gramatically with it.
You should always indicate if you have omitted material from the middle of a quotation.