Q&A for How to Quote and Cite a Poem in an Essay Using MLA Format

Wherever there is a line break that is another line to count. So whenever the text moves down to another line, count it as another line.

Do it the same way you would quote 3 or fewer lines of poetry as explained above. Include the author's name and the title of the poem when introducing the quotation. Be sure to hand in an MLA works cited page when handing in the speech.

MLA format is how writers talk about poetry (or other works), not a style people actually write poetry in. So MLA format governs how you might write about a poem for a class at school, but does not provide guidelines for actually writing poetry.

Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair also railed against "gò / is mì-rùn mhòr nan Gall," who sought the extinction of Gaelic (“the deceit and great malice of the non-Gaels,” 39-40).

It needs to be indented an inch (2.5cm) or 10 spaces from the left margin. And do not add quotation marks for a long quote.

List the author's lastname, firstname, title of the poem, and name of the website. The date the poem was posted.

Put the authors in alphabetical order by last name, according to this format: "Last name 1, First Name 1, and First Name 2 Last Name 2." For the in-line citation, just use both last names: (Last name 1 and last name 2.)

If you mean that you italicized part of your quote to emphasize something, add "emphasis mine" to the end of the in-line citation, e.g. (Frost, "Stopping By the Woods" 13-15. Emphasis mine). Be aware that some teachers and professors frown upon doing this, though.

No, URLs are not required for MLA citations. This is mainly due to the changing nature of web addresses, and the fact that resources can usually be found through a web browser.

Just use the name of the company or title of the article instead of the author's name.

You should cite both the person who wrote the summary and the poem itself to ensure proper credit is given.

Line numbers should go at the end of each line, and the page number should be in the header or footer of each page.

If you're writing a poem and want to include lines from another poet's work, mention the poet's name first and/or place quotation marks around the lines. Then, add a footnote to provide additional source information.