Epigraph Page
An epigraph page presents a brief quotation or other text that frames a theme. Oxford University Press treats epigraphs as optional front matter and warns that permission may be required, so inclusion and treatment remain publisher-specific.
Use an epigraph page only when a short quotation or text genuinely frames the work. Follow the publisher’s placement, styling and permissions requirements.
Key details
Further guidance
Permissions
Quoted epigraph material can require permission; check rights requirements rather than assuming short quoted text is automatically reusable.
Placement
Its placement and page treatment are front-matter choices governed by the publisher or document authority.
Practical Application
Use an epigraph page when a short quotation or text genuinely frames the work. Verify placement, attribution, styling, and permissions with the publisher rather than treating the page as decoration.
Purpose
An epigraph is a short phrase, quotation, poem or similar text used to convey a key message or theme.
Reader Check
Does the epigraph add a meaningful framing function, and have permissions/attribution requirements been checked?
Worked Example
A brief licensed quotation may appear on an epigraph page before the main text when the publisher permits it; do not add a long excerpt merely to fill front matter.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Front and end matter — Oxford Academic (opens in a new tab)Oxford University Press · OUP book-workflow guidance for forewords, prefaces, half-title/frontispiece, epigraph, illustration/map lists, contributors, reader notes and endpapers