In the Works Cited entry, you start with the poet’s name, followed by the title of the poem in quotation marks. Then include details of the source where the poem was published. Usually you will follow the format of an MLA book citation or an MLA website citation.
If the poem is from a collection of the poet’s work, add the book's name in italics; the publisher; the year; and the page or page range on which the poem appears.
| MLA format | Author last name, First name. “Poem Title.” Book Title, Publisher, Year, Page number(s). |
| MLA Works Cited entry | Rich, Adrienne. “Fox.” Fox: Poems 1998–2000, W. W. Norton, 2001, p. 25. |
| MLA in-text citation | (Rich) |
If the poem was published as part of an edited collection, follow the same format as above, but add the name(s) of the book’s editor(s).
| MLA format | Author last name, First name. “Poem Title.” Book Title, edited by Editor first name Last name, Publisher, Year, Page number(s). |
| MLA Works Cited entry | Heaney, Seamus. “Funeral Rites.” The Penguin Book of Contemporary Irish Poetry, edited by Peter Fallon and Derek Mahon, Penguin Books, 1990, pp. 149–151. |
| MLA in-text citation | (Heaney 150) |
If you accessed the poem on a website, include the name of the website and the URL. If the web page has a publication date, include this; if not, add the date on which you accessed it. If relevant, you can also add the original publication year directly after the poem’s title.
| MLA format | Author last name, First name. “Poem Title.” Original publication year. Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. |
| MLA Works Cited entry | Mahon, Derek. “A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford.” 1975. Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/92154/a-disused-shed-in-co-wexford. Accessed 25 June 2019. |
| MLA in-text citation | (Mahon) |
Why Do We Need to Cite Sources for Papers or Presentations?
How Do You Incorporate Sources Within Your Paper or Presentation?
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