MLA Poem Citation Generator
Works Cited 0
MLA Poem Citation Generator Examples
Review properly structured MLA 9th edition entries for this source type.
How to Use the MLA Poem Citation Generator
- Enter the poet's name in Last name, First name format (e.g., Angelou, Maya).
- Type the poem title exactly as published. The tool places it in quotation marks if it appears within a collection or anthology.
- If the poem appears in a collection or anthology, enter the book title — this is the container. If it is a standalone published poem, the title will be italicized instead.
- Add the editor of the anthology (if applicable), the publisher, and the year of publication.
- Include the page range (e.g., pp. 42-44) where the poem appears within the collection.
- Click Generate Citation to produce the formatted Works Cited entry.
💡 Pro Tips
- In-text citations for poems use line numbers instead of page numbers: (Frost, lines 3-5).
- For poems found online, include the website name and URL as container elements.
How the MLA Poem Citation Generator Works
A poem in MLA 9 is treated as a shorter work inside a larger container. When found in an anthology or collection, the poem title goes in quotation marks and the book title is italicized. When a poem is published as an independent book-length work, the title is italicized instead.
📐 Citation Structure
Poet Last, First. — Author of the poem"Poem Title.” — In quotation marks for poems in collectionsCollection or Anthology Title, — Italicized container, commaedited by First Last, — Editor of the anthologyPublisher, Year, — Publishing detailspp. ##-##. — Page range where the poem appears
Important formatting details:
- For in-text citations of poetry, cite line numbers, not page numbers: (Dickinson, lines 1-4).
- When quoting three or fewer lines of poetry, use quotation marks and a forward slash (/) to indicate line breaks.
- Block-quote four or more lines of poetry with 0.5-inch indent and no quotation marks.
- For epic-length poems published as standalone books (e.g., The Odyssey), italicize the title.
MLA Poem Citation FAQs and Common Questions
List the poet, put the poem title in quotation marks, italicize the anthology title as the container, add the editor with 'edited by,' the publisher, year, and page range. Example: Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." The Norton Anthology of Poetry, edited by Margaret Ferguson, 6th ed., W. W. Norton, 2018, pp. 1072-73.
Use line numbers for in-text citations of poetry. Write (lines 3-5) for the first reference, then (5-8) for subsequent references. Use page numbers only in the Works Cited entry to locate the poem in the collection.
List the poet, poem title in quotation marks, website name as the container, publication date, and URL. Example: Oliver, Mary. "The Summer Day." Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56474.
For three or fewer lines, use quotation marks and a forward slash with spaces to mark line breaks: "Two roads diverged / in a yellow wood." For four or more lines, use a block quote with 0.5-inch indent and no quotation marks.
Italicize the title of book-length poems like The Odyssey or Paradise Lost since they are standalone works. Do not use quotation marks. Cite them using the standard book format.
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