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Research@UWW

Key Elements

  1. Poet
  2. "Poem Title" (in quotes)
  3. Book Title (italicized)
  4. Editor
  5. City of publication
  6. Publisher
  7. Publication year
  8. Page number(s)
  9. Format

Anthology or Collection [6.42]

Cite the poet first. If you cite more than one poem from the same collection, create a citation for each poem.

Poem in a Collection, One Author, No Editor

General Format: Author’s last name comma author’s first name period. open quotation marks poem title period close quotation marks. book title in italics comma publisher comma publication date comma p p period starting page dash ending page period. Description of Citation: Eberhart comma Richard period. open quotation marks Retrospective Forelook period closing quotation marks. Richard Eberhart colon Selected Poems 1930 dash 1965 comma New Directions comma 1965 comma p p period 23 dash 25 period.

In-text Citation

Author Name(s) in Parenthetical Citation:

The poem demonstrates the cheesiness of Wisconsin:

"Whether Colby or Jack, it's Wisconsin true" (Eberhart line 5).

Author Name(s) in Your Text

Eberhart demonstrates the cheesiness of Wisconsin:

"Whether Colby or Jack, it's Wisconsin true" (line 5).

Poem in an Anthology, One Author, One Editor

General Format: Author’s last name comma author’s first name period open quotation marks poem title in title case period closing quotation marks book title in title case and italics comma editor’s first name editor’s middle initial period editor’s last name comma publisher comma publication year comma p p period starting page dash ending page period. Description of Citation: Wheatley comma Phillis period, open quotation marks On Being Brought from Africa to America in title case period closing quotation marks. Amazing Grace colon An Anthology of Poems About Slavery 1660 dash 1810 in title case and italics comma edited by James G period Basker comma Yale U P comma 2002 comma p p period 177 dash 178 period.

In-text Citation

Author Name(s) in Parenthetical Citation:

The poem's final line demonstrates this point:

"May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train" demonstrates this point (Wheatley line 8).

Author Name(s) in Your Text

Wheatley demonstrates this point with the poem's final line:

"May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train" (line 8).

Poem as a Book

Some long poems are published as an entire book. Cite these following standard book guidelines. 

Poem as Book, One Author, One Translator, Print

General Format: Author’s last name comma author’s first name period. poem title which is also the book title in title case and italics period. Translated by translator’s first name middle name last name comma publisher comma publication year period. Description of Citation: Du comma Nguyen period. The Tale of Kieu in title case and italics period. Translated by Huynh Sanh Thong comma Random House comma 1973 period.

In-text Citation

Author Name(s) in Parenthetical Citation:

The poem demonstrates the cheesiness of Wisconsin:

"Whether Colby or Jack, it's Wisconsin true" (Du line 255).

Author Name(s) in Your Text

Du demonstrates the cheesiness of Wisconsin:

"Whether Colby or Jack, it's Wisconsin true" (line 255).

Poem as Book, One Author, E-book

Book citation, followed by the database title in italics and then the stable/permanent link to the book provided by the database.

General Format: Author’s last name comma author’s first name period. poem title which is also the book title in title case and italics period. publisher comma publication year period. database in title case and italics comma stable link provided by database period. Description of Citation: Milton comma John period. Paradise Lost in title case and italics period. First Avenue Editions comma 2014 period. ProQuest Ebook Central in title case and italics comma ebookcentral period proquest period com forward slash lib forward slash whitewater dash ebooks forward slash reader period action question mark docID equal sign 5446284&ppg equal sign 4 period.

In-text Citation

Author Name(s) in Parenthetical Citation:

The poem demonstrates the cheesiness of Wisconsin:

"Whether Colby or Jack, it's Wisconsin true" (Milton 332).

Author Name(s) in Your Text

Milton demonstrates the cheesiness of Wisconsin:

"Whether Colby or Jack, it's Wisconsin true" (line 332).

Poem, Online (Website or Scholarly Project) 

General Format: Author’s last name comma author’s first name period. open quotation marks poem title period close quotation marks. Website title in title case and italics comma u r l period. Description of Citation: Berg comma Aase period open quotation marks Life Form in title case period close quotation marks. Poetry Foundation in title case and italics comma w w w period poetryfoundation period org forward slash poems forward slash 148257 forward slash life dash form period.

In-text Citation

Author Name(s) in Parenthetical Citation:

The poem demonstrates the cheesiness of Wisconsin:

"Whether Colby or Jack, it's Wisconsin true" (Berg line 26).

Author Name(s) in Your Text

Milton demonstrates the cheesiness of Wisconsin:

"Whether Colby or Jack, it's Wisconsin true" (line 26).