To cite a poem without lines in MLA format, follow this format:


How do you cite a poem in your college essay? We want to say that it is simple, easy to understand, and similar in all academic formats, but this statement is false. First, check and recheck the designated academic format for your essay because there are significant differences between various style guidelines. Next, there is a difference between citing two-line, four-line, or five-line poems.


And the last question remains: how to in text cite a poem? Students often need to casually mention a poem in body chapters without necessarily highlighting it in a different list. So, do you think in-text citations will be exactly the same or at least vaguely similar? Think again; there are more new formatting rules to learn here!

First, notate the page number, year, and author. Citations of poems should always be accompanied by in-text citations that direct readers to the appropriate item in the works referenced section. In this citation, the author’s last name, publication year, and page number (preceded by “p.”), where the quote may be found, should always be included.

How to cite a poem in MLA citation using two or three lines:

Why should quoting always be so tricky? Can academics decide on one way to quote something and not invent exceptions for every single case? Apparently, they cannot! There are many quoting types in academic writing and strict rules for quoting everything in every case–and often, those rules just don’t make any sense. However, students must follow formatting guidelines in order to write great papers and receive excellent grades, so let’s explore how writing a poem differs from quoting, for example, a song title.

Second, remember to reference indirect sources. Even if you don’t directly quote anything from a poem (or any other source), you should nonetheless cite it. When referencing a source, always use the same format for parenthetical citations.

To format an MLA works-cited list entry for a poem include the poem’s author, the poem’s title, the title of the work in which the poem appears (anthology title, book title, etc.), the editor or author of the work in which the poem appears, the publisher, the year, and the page number. If applicable, also include the anthology’s details, such as edition number and volume number.

Poems cited using MLA style in-text citations are standard regardless of where they were found, in contrast to citations on the reference page.


How to cite a poem in MLA with numbered lines:

Yes, you must quote every piece of another writer’s work to avoid plagiarism accusations and pay proper respect to your colleague’s studies. The poem titles are no exception.

How to cite a poem in MLA published on several pages:

Citing sources is a necessity when it comes to writing an academic paper. There are several known formatting styles to follow: MLA, APA, Chicago, , and others. It might not seem complicated at first sight, but one must know how to cite sources correctly. For others, working with quotes may be a real struggle.

How to cite a poem in MLA for consecutive citations

When you need to quote a poem, it's important to state the poet's name clearly to let the readers find the source in the References page. If you need to quote several poems from the one author, state the title of the poem you're citing.

Example of how to cite a poem with no line numbers or page numbers

Since poem and prose are entirely two different things by their nature, the formatting rules differ. This article will help you find information on how to cite a poem and get an A+ on your essay.

Example of how to cite a poem with line numbers

When writing about poetry, it’s important to properly cite any poems that you reference or quote. This can be a bit tricky, as the rules for citing poetry differ from those for prose. In this article, we’ll cover the basics of how to cite poetry MLA and others in your academic writing or research papers.

Example of how to cite a poem with page numbers

As you can see, you should cite a poem if you take a direct quote from the lines or if you restate the same idea with different words. Just remember to place poem titles in quotation marks and don't underline them.