How to Cite a Poem in MLA Format: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide

You are halfway through your paper. You have found the perfect lines. Now you need to cite them correctly, and suddenly the rules feel less obvious than they should be.

Where exactly does the slash go? Do you use line numbers or page numbers? What if the poem has no author? What if you found it online? What if you are quoting twelve lines instead of two?

These are the questions that actually trip people up, and most guides skim past them.

This guide covers every scenario clearly, with real examples you can copy and adapt. Whether you are citing a poem from a textbook, an anthology, a website, or a standalone book, you will find the exact format you need here.

Quick Answer

To cite a poem in MLA format, you need two things: an in-text citation within your paper and a Works Cited entry at the end. For the in-text citation, place the poet’s last name and line numbers in parentheses after the quote. For the Works Cited entry, start with the poet’s last name, then the poem title in quotation marks, then the source details depending on where you found the poem.

Part 1: The Works Cited Entry

The Works Cited entry is the full reference that appears at the end of your paper. The format changes depending on where the poem was published. There are five main scenarios.

Scenario 1: Poem in an Anthology or Edited Collection

This is the most common situation for students. You found the poem in a textbook, a Norton anthology, a poetry collection with multiple authors, or any book edited by someone other than the poet.

Format:

Poet’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Poem.” Title of Anthology, edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, Publisher, Year, pp. page numbers.

Real Example:

Lazarus, Emma. “The New Colossus.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, shorter 14th ed., W.W. Norton, 2022, p. 752.

What each part means:

• Lazarus, Emma: poet’s last name first, then first name, followed by a period
• “The New Colossus”: poem title in double quotation marks, followed by a period inside the closing quotation mark
• The Norton Introduction to Literature: anthology title in italics, followed by a comma
• edited by Kelly J. Mays: editor’s name in normal order (first name then last), followed by a comma
• shorter 14th ed.: edition information if given, followed by a comma
• W.W. Norton: publisher name, followed by a comma
• 2022: year of publication, followed by a comma
• p. 752: page number where the poem appears. Use “p.” for a single page and “pp.” for a range

Scenario 2: Poem in a Single-Author Poetry Collection

This applies when the poem comes from a book written entirely by one poet, such as a collected works volume or a single-poet publication.

Format:

Poet’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Poem.” Title of Collection, Publisher, Year, pp. page numbers.

Real Example:

Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken.” Mountain Interval, Henry Holt, 1916, pp. 9-10.

Note that there is no “edited by” section here because the book has a single author rather than an editor.

Scenario 3: Poem Found on a Website

When you read the poem on a website such as Poetry Foundation, poets.org, or any other online source, follow this format.

Format:

Poet’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Poem.” Title of Website, Publisher or Sponsoring Organization if different from website name, Date of publication or last update, URL.

Real Example:

Angelou, Maya. “Still I Rise.” Poetry Foundation, 2024, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise.

Key details to know for online poems:

• If the website name and the organization running it are the same, you do not need to list it twice
• If no publication date is listed, add the date you accessed the page: Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
• You can include the original publication year directly after the poem title if it is relevant: “Still I Rise.” 1978. Poetry Foundation…

Scenario 4: Poem as a Standalone Published Book

Epic poems and long-form poems are sometimes published as their own books. Treat these like a standard book citation.

Format:

Poet’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Poem in Italics. Publisher, Year.

Real Example:

Kovacs, Maureen. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Stanford University Press, 1989.

Note that the title is italicized rather than placed in quotation marks because the poem is a full standalone book, not a shorter work within a larger publication.

Scenario 5: Poem with No Known Author

If the poet is unknown, begin the Works Cited entry with the poem title instead of an author name.

Format:

“Title of Poem.” Title of Source, other publication details as applicable.

Real Example:

“Sir Patrick Spens.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, 10th ed., W.W. Norton, 2018, pp. 172-174.

Part 2: The In-Text Citation

The in-text citation appears inside your paper immediately after you quote the poem. It tells the reader exactly where to find the passage in the source.

What to Include in the Parentheses

If the poem has line numbers in the source:

Use the line numbers. Write “lines” before the numbers in your first citation of that poem. In later citations, you only need the numbers.

First citation: (Frost, lines 1-4) Later citations: (Frost 16-20)

If the poem has no line numbers:

Use the page number instead.

(Angelou 47)

If the poem is on only one page or a single web page with no page numbers:

Include only the author’s last name.

(Angelou)

If you already named the poet in your sentence:

You do not need to repeat the name in the parentheses. Just include the line or page number.

Example: Robert Frost describes the choice as one that “has made all the difference” (lines 19-20).

Part 3: How to Format Poetry Quotations in the Body of Your Paper

How you format the actual quoted lines depends on how many lines you are quoting. This is where many students make formatting mistakes.

Quoting 1 to 3 Lines: Run-In Format

For short quotations of three lines or fewer, keep the quote within your regular paragraph text. Use double quotation marks. Use a forward slash with a space on each side to show where one line ends and the next begins.

Example:

Sylvia Plath opens with a sense of calculated despair: “Dying / Is an art, like everything else. / I do it exceptionally well” (Plath, lines 43-45).

If there is a stanza break between the lines you are quoting, use a double slash with spaces on each side to mark it.

Example: “Wasn’t I beautiful? / Wasn’t I fragrant and young? // Look at me now” (Duffy, lines 40-42).

Quoting 4 or More Lines: Block Quote Format

When you quote four or more lines of poetry, you use a block quotation. The rules are different here.

Step 1: Introduce the quotation with a sentence that ends in a colon.

Step 2: Start the quotation on a new line.

Step 3: Indent the entire block quotation one inch from the left margin. Do not indent from the right margin.

Step 4: Do not use quotation marks around a block quotation.

Step 5: Keep the poem’s original line breaks, punctuation, and capitalization exactly as they appear in the source.

Step 6: Place the parenthetical citation after the final period of the quotation. This is the reverse of the run-in format, where the citation comes before the final period.

Example:

Frost describes the moment of choice with quiet acceptance:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (Frost, lines 18-20)

What If You Need to Skip Lines?

If you are omitting lines within a quotation, use an ellipsis of spaced periods across approximately the full width of the line to show that one or more lines have been removed.

Part 4: Formatting Your Works Cited Page

These rules apply to every Works Cited entry, not just poem citations.

• The Works Cited list appears on a separate page at the end of your paper
• Center the words “Works Cited” at the top of the page. Do not bold, underline, or put it in quotation marks
• All entries are double-spaced with no extra space between them
• Use a hanging indent: the first line of each entry starts at the left margin, and every line after the first is indented 0.5 inches
• List entries in alphabetical order by the first word of each citation, which is usually the author’s last name

Side-by-Side Comparison: All Works Cited Formats at a Glance

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using line numbers when the source does not have them

You should never count lines yourself and insert numbers that are not in the original text. If the source does not show line numbers, use a page number instead. If the poem is on a single web page, just use the author’s last name.

Forgetting the period inside the quotation marks in Works Cited

The period after the poem title goes inside the closing quotation mark, not outside it. This is a detail that automatic spell checkers will not catch for you.

Using italics instead of quotation marks for the poem title

Short poems belong in quotation marks. Italics are reserved for long, book-length works. This means “The Road Not Taken” in quotation marks, but The Epic of Gilgamesh in italics.

Putting the citation after the period in a block quote

In a block quotation, the period comes before the parenthetical citation, not after. This is the opposite of run-in quotations, where the period comes after the closing parenthesis.

Using parenthetical citations when the author was already named in the sentence

If you wrote “Robert Frost describes…” then you only need the line numbers in the parentheses, not the author’s name again.

Forgetting the hanging indent in Works Cited

Every Works Cited entry needs a hanging indent. The first line is at the regular left margin. All continuation lines are indented 0.5 inches. This is easy to set in any word processor.

Not matching the in-text citation to the Works Cited entry

The first word of your Works Cited entry, usually the last name, must match exactly what you put in the in-text citation. If the Works Cited says “Plath,” the in-text citation must say “Plath,” not “Sylvia Plath.”

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Practical Examples: From Real Poems

Example 1: Short Quote from an Anthology Poem

You are quoting two lines from “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, found in a Norton anthology.

In-text citation in your paper:

Lazarus calls America the “Mother of Exiles” who welcomes the displaced: “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (lines 10-11).

Works Cited entry:

Lazarus, Emma. “The New Colossus.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, shorter 14th ed., W.W. Norton, 2022, p. 752.

Example 2: Block Quote from a Website Poem

You are quoting six lines from Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” found on the Poetry Foundation website.

In-text citation as a block quote:

Angelou builds her defiance through repetition and imagery:

You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise. Does my sexiness upset you? (Angelou)

Works Cited entry:

Angelou, Maya. “Still I Rise.” 1978. Poetry Foundation, 2024, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise.

Example 3: Poem with No Line Numbers or Page Numbers

You are quoting from a poem found online that has no page numbers or line numbers in the source.

In-text citation:

The poem closes with an image of inescapable return (Oliver).

Works Cited entry follows the online poem format, ending with the URL.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cite a poem in MLA format?

To cite a poem in MLA format, include an in-text citation with the poet’s last name and line numbers in parentheses after the quote. At the end of your paper, add a Works Cited entry starting with the poet’s last name and first name, the poem title in quotation marks, and the full source details depending on whether it came from an anthology, a single-author collection, a website, or a standalone book.

Do you use line numbers or page numbers in MLA poem citations?

Use line numbers if they are already printed in the source you are using. Never count and add your own line numbers. If the source has no line numbers, use the page number. If the poem appears on a single page or a single web page with no numbered lines, use only the author’s last name in the parentheses.

How do you cite a poem from an anthology in MLA?

Start the Works Cited entry with the poet’s last name and first name, then the poem title in quotation marks, then the anthology title in italics, then “edited by” followed by the editor’s name, then the publisher, year, and page numbers where the poem appears.

What is the format for citing a poem found online in MLA?

The format is: Poet’s Last Name, First Name. “Poem Title.” Website Name, Organization if different, Date of publication, URL. If no date is available, add the date you accessed the page.

How do you quote more than three lines of a poem in MLA?

Use a block quotation. Introduce it with a sentence ending in a colon, start the quotation on a new line, indent the entire block one inch from the left margin, preserve the poem’s original line breaks and formatting, do not use quotation marks, and place the parenthetical citation after the final period.

What do you do if a poem has no author in MLA?

Begin the Works Cited entry with the poem title in quotation marks instead of an author name. In your in-text citation, use a shortened version of the poem title in quotation marks in place of an author name.

How do you show line breaks when quoting poetry in MLA?

When quoting three or fewer lines within your regular paragraph text, use a forward slash with a space on each side to show where each new line begins. For four or more lines, use a block quotation that preserves the poem’s actual line breaks.

Does MLA require you to italicize the poem title?

Only if the poem is a book-length work published on its own, such as an epic poem. Short poems and most poems you will encounter in courses get quotation marks, not italics. Italics are reserved for full-length books and long standalone works.

How do you cite a poem written by an anonymous author in MLA?

Begin the Works Cited entry with the poem title in quotation marks. For the in-text citation, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks in place of the author’s name.

What does a hanging indent look like in a Works Cited entry?

The first line of each citation begins at the normal left margin. Every continuation line after the first is indented 0.5 inches. In Microsoft Word, you can apply this automatically by selecting your text, going to Format, then Paragraph, then under Indentation selecting Hanging from the Special dropdown and setting 0.5 inches.