Citing sources can feel like a chore, but for poetry, it’s an act of preservation. You are honoring the poet’s deliberate choices, where a single line break carries immense weight. This guide will show you how to cite poems correctly in MLA, APA, and Harvard styles, transforming the task into a meaningful part of your academic writing.
How to Quote Poetry
Before you cite, you must format the quote. The goal is to visually represent the poem as faithfully as possible. This respect for form is the bedrock of poetry citation.
Quoting Short Passages (1 to 3 lines)
To weave a few lines of a poem into your sentence, enclose them in quotation marks. Use a forward slash (/) with a space on each side to mark where the line breaks occur. If there is a stanza break, use a double slash (//).
For example: The speaker asks, “What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow / Out of this stony rubbish?” (Eliot, lines 19-20).
Quoting Long Passages (4 or more lines)
For four or more lines, use a block quote. Introduce the quote with a colon, and on a new line, indent the entire passage a half-inch from the left margin. Do not use quotation marks. Replicate the poem’s original layout and use the same punctuation.
Eliot’s second stanza paints a desolate picture:
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. (22-25)
Citation Style Quick Guide: MLA, APA, & Harvard
An in-text citation points the reader to the full reference. The format for the in-text citation and the full entry in your bibliography (Works Cited for MLA, References for APA) depends on the style you’re using. Below are templates and examples for each.
MLA Style Guide
MLA style is most common in the humanities. It emphasizes the poem author’s last name and the specific line numbers of the quote.
MLA: In-Text Citations
| Situation | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With Line Numbers | (Author Last Name line numbers) | (Angelou 5-6) |
| Multiple Pages | (Author Last Name page number) | (Heaney 150) |
| No Line/Page Numbers | (Author Last Name) | (Neruda) |
| Multiple works by same author | (Author Last Name, “Poem Title,” line numbers) | (Frost, “Birches,” 44) |
MLA: Works Cited Entries
| Source Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| Poem in Author’s Own Collection | Format: Last Name, First Name. “Poem Title.” Book Title, Publisher, Year of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. Example: Angelou, Maya. “Caged Bird.” And Still I Rise, Random House, 1978, pp. 10-11. |
| Poem in an Edited Anthology | Format: Last Name, First Name. “Poem’s Title.” Anthology Title, edited by Editor’s Name, Publisher Name, Year of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. Example: Heaney, Seamus. “Digging.” The Norton Introduction to Poetry, edited by Kelly J. Mays, 13th ed., W. W. Norton, 2019, pp. 25-26. |
| Poem from a Website | Format: Last Name, First Name. “Poem’s Title.” Website Title, Publisher Name, Publication Date, URL. Accessed Date. Example: Neruda, Pablo. “If You Forget Me.” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46483/if-you-forget-me. Accessed 15 July 2025. |
APA Style Guide
APA style is common in the social sciences. It prioritizes the author’s last name and the year of publication. For direct quotes, include a page number. Since poems often lack traditional page numbers, APA allows for alternatives like line numbers or paragraph numbers.
APA: In-Text Citations
| Situation | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With Page Numbers | (Author Last Name, Year, p. page number) | (Angelou, 1978, p. 10) |
| With Line Numbers | (Author Last Name, Year, lines X–X) | (Frost, 1916, lines 1-2) |
| Author in text | Author (Year) … | According to Angelou (1978)… |
APA: Reference List Entries
| Source Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| Poem in Author’s Own Collection | Format: Last Name, F. M. (Year). Title of poem. In Title of book (p. or pp. page numbers). Publisher. Example: Angelou, M. (1978). Caged bird. In And still I rise (pp. 10-11). Random House. |
| Poem in an Edited Anthology | Format: Last Name, F. M. (Year). Title of poem. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of anthology (pp. page numbers). Publisher. Example: Heaney, S. (2019). Digging. In K. J. Mays (Ed.), The Norton introduction to poetry (13th ed., pp. 25-26). W. W. Norton. |
| Poem from a Website | Format: Last Name, F. M. (Year, Month Day). Title of poem. Website Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL Example: Neruda, P. (n.d.). If you forget me. Poetry Foundation. Retrieved July 15, 2025, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46483/if-you-forget-me |
Harvard Style Guide
Harvard is an author-date style similar to APA. The parenthetical citation in the text includes the author’s last name, year, and page number if available. As with APA, use line numbers if they are provided.
Harvard: In-Text Citations
| Situation | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With Page Numbers | (Author Last Name Year, p. page number) | (Angelou 1978, p. 10) |
| With Line Numbers | (Author Last Name Year, lines X–X) | (Frost 1916, lines 1-2) |
| Author in text | Author (Year) … | As Angelou (1978) writes… |
Harvard: Reference List Entries
| Source Type | Format & Example |
|---|---|
| Poem in Author’s Own Collection | Format: Last name, Initial(s). (Year) ‘Title of poem’, in Title of book. Place of Publication: Publisher, pp. page numbers. Example: Angelou, M. (1978) ‘Caged bird’, in And still I rise. New York: Random House, pp. 10-11. |
| Poem in an Edited Anthology | Format: Last name, Initial(s). (Year) ‘Title of poem’, in Editor initial(s). Last name (ed.) Title of anthology. Place of Publication: Publisher, pp. page numbers. Example: Heaney, S. (2019) ‘Digging’, in K.J. Mays (ed.) The Norton introduction to poetry. 13th edn. New York: W. W. Norton, pp. 25-26. |
| Poem from a Website | Format: Last name, Initial(s). (Year) Title of poem. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year). Example: Neruda, P. (no date) If you forget me. Available at: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46483/if-you-forget-me (Accessed: 15 July 2025). |
A quick note: For any style, if a poem online or in a book has no line numbers or page numbers, your in-text citation may only include the author’s last name and year. For guidance on these edge cases, see the official manuals, such as the MLA Style Center. For complex sources, a citation generator can be a helpful starting point, but always double-check its output.
A Final Thought
Mastering how to cite poems is about more than rules; it’s an exercise in intellectual respect. Each parenthetical citation and Works Cited entry is a nod to the poet’s craft. It connects your voice to the grand conversation of poetry, showing that your analysis is built upon the foundation of another’s art.