How To Cite A Poem In Works Cited | MLA Format Fast

If your paper uses MLA, the Works Cited page is where your poem source gets its full entry. When each piece lands in the right slot, your reader can locate the poem fast and your in-text citations line up cleanly.

This walkthrough sticks to one task: how to cite a poem in works cited using MLA 9 style for print and digital sources.

What You Need Before You Start

Poems show up in many containers: a poetry book, an anthology, a magazine, a website, a database, a PDF, an e-book platform. Grab the details from the version you actually used.

• Poet and poem title
• Container title (book, site, journal, database)
• Contributor names (editor or translator, if listed)
• Publisher and date
• Location (page range, DOI, permalink, or direct URL)

Where You Found The Poem	What To Record	What You’ll Cite
Poetry book	Book title, publisher, year	Poem pages
Anthology	Anthology title, editor, year	Poem pages
Website	Site name, page date, publisher	Poem URL
Online magazine	Publication title, issue info, date	URL or DOI
Library database	Database name, item record facts	Permalink
PDF handout	File title, source facts you can see	Share link
Archive	Archive name, edition info	Stable link
E-book platform	Platform, edition, year	Stable page/loc

How MLA Treats Poems In Works Cited

MLA entries follow a repeat order: author, title, container, then publication facts and a location. Poems follow that same order.

• Poem titles use quotation marks. Containers like books, journals, and sites usually take italics.
• Cite the container you used. If the poem is inside an anthology, the anthology is your container.
• End with a usable location. Pages for print, a DOI or permalink for many digital sources, or a direct URL when that’s what you have.

Some sources are layered. A poem can appear in a journal issue that you opened through a database. In that case, you can name the journal first, then the database as the second container.

How To Cite A Poem In Works Cited

Build most poem entries with the same six-part order. You may skip parts your source does not provide, but keep the order steady.

Step 1: Write The Poet’s Name

Start with last name, then first name, then a period. If the poet is listed with a middle name or initials, copy what the source shows.

Pattern: Lastname, Firstname.

Step 2: Add The Poem Title

Put the poem title in quotation marks. End with a period inside the closing quote.

Pattern: “Poem Title.”

Step 3: Add The Container Title

The container is the book, anthology, site, journal, or database that holds the poem. Container titles are usually italicized.

If you want a refresher on MLA entry parts and order, the MLA Style Center Works Cited guide lists the core pieces.

Step 4: Add Contributors And Numbers When Listed

Add editors or translators after the container title. Add volume and issue numbers for journals. Add an edition for books when it’s shown.

Step 5: Add Publisher And Date

Use the publisher and date shown on the source. If a poem page has no date, skip the date slot and move on.

Step 6: Finish With The Location

Use page range for print. Use a DOI if the source provides one. Use a permalink or stable URL for database items. Purdue OWL shows a clean model for the Works Cited page layout on its MLA Works Cited page format page.

Formatting The Works Cited Page

Most MLA setups use these basics:

• Alphabetical order by the first element of each entry (often the author’s last name).
• Hanging indent so the first line starts at the margin and the next lines are indented.
• Double spacing with no extra blank lines between entries unless your instructor asks for them.

Ask your teacher whether to include access dates for web sources. Some classes want them, some don’t.

Citing A Poem In A Works Cited List By Source Type

These patterns fit the sources students use most. Copy the template, then swap in your details and keep the punctuation in place.

Poem In A Single-Author Book

Template: Last, First. “Poem Title.” Book Title, Publisher, Year, pp. xx–xx.

Sample entry: Frost, Robert. “Mending Wall.” North of Boston, Henry Holt, 1914, pp. 11–13.

Poem In An Anthology Or Textbook

Template: Last, First. “Poem Title.” Anthology Title, edited by Editor Name, Publisher, Year, pp. xx–xx.

Sample entry: Angelou, Maya. “Still I Rise.” The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., W. W. Norton, 2014, pp. 2210–12.

Poem From A Website Page

Template: Last, First. “Poem Title.” Website Name, Publisher, Date, URL.

Sample entry: Nye, Naomi Shihab. “Kindness.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2008, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54208/kindness.

Poem In A Journal Or Magazine

Template: Last, First. “Poem Title.” Journal Title, vol. x, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx.

Sample entry: Trethewey, Natasha. “Myth.” Poetry, vol. 194, no. 3, 2009, pp. 40–41.

Poem Through A Library Database

Database records often show the original publication plus the database name. End with the permalink from the item record.

Template: Last, First. “Poem Title.” Publication, vol. x, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx. Database Name, Permalink.

Poem In A PDF Handout

For a PDF or scan, cite what the file shows and add “PDF” at the end. If the PDF is clearly a scan of a book page, include the book title and page range when you can see them.

Template: Last, First. “Poem Title.” Source Title, Year. PDF.

Line Numbers And In-Text Citations

Your Works Cited entry points to the source. Your in-text citation points to the lines or pages you used.

If the poem prints line numbers, cite the line numbers. If it doesn’t, cite page numbers for print sources.

• Line numbers shown: (Frost lines 1–4)
• Page number from an anthology: (Angelou 2211)
• Two line ranges in one citation: (Frost lines 1–4, 15–18)

Special Cases That Trip People Up

Two Poems With The Same Title

If you cite two poems with the same title, the container usually separates them. If you still need a tie-breaker, add the date slot when one source has it and the other doesn’t.

No Poet Listed

If no poet is named, start the entry with the poem title in quotation marks, then add the container and the rest of the facts you have. Don’t add “Anonymous” unless the source itself uses that credit.

Translated Poems

Credit the poet as author, then add the translator after the container title.

Template: Last, First. “Poem Title.” Book Title, translated by Translator, Publisher, Year, pp. xx–xx.

Works Cited Templates And Samples

Use this table when you want a pattern check while you type your Works Cited page.

Source Type	Template	Sample Entry
Book	Last, First. “Poem.” Book, Pub, Year, pp. xx–xx.	Bishop, Elizabeth. “The Fish.” North & South, Houghton Mifflin, 1946, pp. 42–44.
Anthology	Last, First. “Poem.” Anthology, edited by Editor, Pub, Year, pp. xx–xx.	Brooks, Gwendolyn. “We Real Cool.” The Norton Anthology of Poetry, edited by Margaret Ferguson, W. W. Norton, 2005, p. 1362.
Website	Last, First. “Poem.” Site, Publisher, Date, URL.	Heaney, Seamus. “Digging.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2003, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47555/digging.
Journal	Last, First. “Poem.” Journal, vol. x, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx.	Giovanni, Nikki. “Nikki-Rosa.” The Black World, vol. 19, no. 1, 1969, pp. 8–9.
Database	Last, First. “Poem.” Pub, Year. DB, Permalink.	Hughes, Langston. “Harlem.” Poetry, 1951. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/XXXX.
PDF	Last, First. “Poem.” Source, Year. PDF.	Cullen, Countee. “Yet Do I Marvel.” Color, 1925. PDF.
E-book	Last, First. “Poem.” Book, Pub, Year. Platform, stable page/loc.	Whitman, Walt. “A Noiseless Patient Spider.” Leaves of Grass, 1892. Kindle, loc. 1542–1549.

A 30 Second Citation Check

When a Works Cited entry feels shaky, don’t stare at it. Run a short check in the same order MLA uses.

• Author slot: Does the entry start with the poet (or the poem title if no poet is listed)?
• Title slot: Is the poem title in quotation marks with a period before the closing quote?
• Container slot: Did you name the book, site, journal, or database that delivered the poem, and italicize it?
• Details slot: Are editor/translator names, volume/issue numbers, publisher, and date placed after the container?
• Location slot: Did you end with pages, a DOI, a permalink, or the direct poem URL?

Next, match your in-text citation to the first element of the entry. If your entry begins with the poet’s last name, your parenthetical citation begins with that same last name. If your entry begins with a title, your parenthetical citation begins with a shortened title in quotation marks.

One more check: if a URL is long, keep it as it appears. Don’t add a period after it unless MLA punctuation calls for it elsewhere. Also avoid copying tracking codes if the database offers a shorter stable link. That keeps the entry clean and reduces broken links. You can test it by opening the link once.

Hanging Indent In Word And Google Docs

A clean Works Cited page is easier to grade. Set the indent once and the page stays readable even when entries wrap to a second line.

1. Select all entries on the Works Cited page.
2. Set line spacing to double, then remove extra space before and after paragraphs.
3. Apply a hanging indent (first line at the margin, following lines indented).

If your teacher wants a plain list with no hanging indent, follow that class rule. Keep the entry content the same either way.

Common Mistakes That Cost Marks

• Using italics for the poem title instead of quotation marks.
• Citing only the poem title and skipping the container.
• Linking to a homepage instead of the poem’s page.
• Copying a database auto-citation without fixing punctuation to match MLA.
• Leaving out editors for an anthology when they’re shown on the title page.

Submission Checklist For Your Works Cited Page

• Entry starts with the same name or title you use in your in-text citation.
• Poem title is in quotation marks; container is italicized.
• Dates match the source and are not guessed.
• Location points to pages, DOI, permalink, or the direct poem URL.
• Entries are alphabetized and use a hanging indent.

When you’re done, read one entry and see if it answers the same test in plain words: how to cite a poem in works cited. Poet, poem title, container, then publication facts and location. If each entry follows that pattern, your Works Cited page will look consistent.