How to Cite Poems with Confidence and Clarity

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 a poem correctly in MLA, APA, and Harvard styles, transforming the task into a meaningful part of your academic writing.

How to Quote a Poem in an Essay

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. If you’re introducing the quotation with a signal phrase, see our guide on how to introduce quotations smoothly into your own sentences.

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. Use this checklist to see how to cite a poem correctly no matter which style your assignment requires:

• Use a single slash (/) for short quotations of 2 to 3 lines.
• Use a double slash (//) to mark a stanza break within a short quotation.
• Switch to a block quote once you reach 4 or more lines.
• Match your in-text citation format to the style your assignment requires: MLA, APA, or Harvard.
• Include line numbers when the poem provides them, or a page number when it doesn’t.

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, per the official APA Style guidelines.

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. For more on quoting literary works generally, see this university guide to using literary quotations.

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. If you’re citing a full poetry collection rather than a single poem within it, our guide on how to cite a book covers that format in more detail. If the poem instead appeared in a literary journal, treat it like a periodical and follow our guide on how to cite a journal.

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. When quoting isn’t the best choice for your argument, learn how to paraphrase a poem’s meaning in your own words instead.

Frequently Asked Questions About Citing Poetry

How do I quote a poem in an essay if it has no numbered lines or pages?

Cite the poet’s surname alone in MLA. For APA and Harvard, add the publication year. This situation is common when quoting a poem in an essay sourced from a website rather than a printed collection, since online poems rarely include numbering.

What’s the difference between citing an anthology and a single-poet collection?

When a poem appears in the poet’s own book, the Works Cited entry lists just that book’s title and publisher. When a poem is in an edited anthology, add the editor’s name after the poem title, since the anthology compiles work from many poets rather than one.

Do I need to repeat the poet’s name every time I cite the same poem?

No. After your first full citation in a paragraph, subsequent references to the same poem only need the number that follows it, as long as the source stays clear from context. Starting a new paragraph or citing a different poem brings the full citation back.

Is there a difference between citing poetry and quoting a poem?

Quoting a poem means reproducing its exact words with the correct slash marks or block-quote formatting. Citing poetry means crediting the source afterward, in-text and in your Works Cited or References list. Academic writing about poetry needs both steps together.