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MLA Formatting Quotations

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When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on their length. Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please note that all pages in MLA should be double-spaced .

Short quotations

To indicate short quotations (four typed lines or fewer of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page number (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the in-text citation, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation.

Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage, but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

For example, when quoting short passages of prose, use the following examples:

When using short (fewer than three lines of verse) quotations from poetry, mark breaks in verse with a slash, ( / ), at the end of each line of verse (a space should precede and follow the slash). If a stanza break occurs during the quotation, use a double slash ( // ).

Long quotations

For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2   inch  from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come  after the closing punctuation mark . When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)

For example, when citing more than four lines of prose, use the following examples :

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

When citing long sections of poetry (four lines of verse or more), keep formatting as close to the original as possible.

In his poem "My Papa's Waltz," Theodore Roethke explores his childhood with his father:

The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We Romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. (qtd. in Shrodes, Finestone, Shugrue 202)

When citing two or more paragraphs, use block quotation format, even if the passage from the paragraphs is less than four lines. If you cite more than one paragraph, the first line of the second paragraph should be indented an extra 1/4 inch to denote a new paragraph:

In "American Origins of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Movement," David Russell argues,

Writing has been an issue in American secondary and higher education since papers and examinations came into wide use in the 1870s, eventually driving out formal recitation and oral examination. . . .

From its birth in the late nineteenth century, progressive education has wrestled with the conflict within industrial society between pressure to increase specialization of knowledge and of professional work (upholding disciplinary standards) and pressure to integrate more fully an ever-widening number of citizens into intellectually meaningful activity within mass society (promoting social equity). . . . (3)

Adding or omitting words in quotations

If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text:

If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipses, which are three periods ( . . . ) preceded and followed by a space. For example:

Please note that brackets are not needed around ellipses unless they would add clarity.

When omitting words from poetry quotations, use a standard three-period ellipses; however, when omitting one or more full lines of poetry, space several periods to about the length of a complete line in the poem:

How to Quote a Song in an Essay

How to Quote a Song in an Essay

Lyrics are one of the most effective tools in an essay to express certain feelings, thoughts, and ideas. You may decide to cite lyrics if you see that the author of a song has created a great line that expresses your point perfectly.

It is like when you walk around, and have a bunch of thoughts in your head but have no idea how to express them on paper. And then all of a sudden… buzz… You hear a song that says it all! In just one or two sentences. You know the feeling, right? Well, this is exactly what you feel when you put song lyrics in an essay. The words that are written and sung in a song may be exactly what you need to add some flavor to the whole academic text.

However, you must follow the copyright and not use the whole song in your text. The good news is that there are no legal requirements about how many words you may use not to be convicted of plagiarism. Whenever you use some part of a song in your paper, do not forget to include in-text citations, a list of all citations, or a reference page. And you may sleep calmly – no one will ever say that you stole their words.

Page Contents

How to quote song lyrics in an essay: simple rules

There are different formats (MLA, APA, Harvard) and each one has its peculiarities. Although, each one requires a parenthetical citation (in-text) and a note in the reference list. Also, the way you cite lyrics in your paper may be different and depends on how you listen to a particular song as well as the amount of information you put in your text. For example, if you cite a song from a CD you listened to, you may refer to the song in the following way:

“The show must go on,” Queen sings in the self-titled song.

To quote the lyrics in MLA format, mention the artist’s name in parenthesis. For example, “In the lyrics to “The Show Must Go on” (Queen), it states that…” This is all you need to do.

However, when you use APA or Harvard format, there are slight differences. You must write the name of the singer, date, and track number in parenthesis, like this: (Queen, 1991, track 12).

As you see, when you integrate short citations into your text, you must use quotation marks. Longer quotations (could be several lines) must be written in a block quote. Don’t forget to indent the citation from the paragraph above it.

How to quote lyrics in a reference list

After in-text quotations, you must make a note in the reference list for the album which contains the song you used in your academic text. If you choose to stick to the MLA requirements, write the name of a performer first, then mention the name of the album, the publisher, and the date. You may also want to list the format:

Queen.  Innuendo.  Metropolis Studios, 1991. CD.

If you use lyrics from a booklet that goes together with the CD, include this information in the “Title of source” and the album’s name:

Queen. Booklet.  Innuendo,  Metropolis Studios, 1991.

How to quote a song if you pick it up on a website? It is also simple. Mention this in place of the title. Then give the name of the website, information about the publication for this site, and its URL:

Queen. Lyrics to “The show must go on”.  Genius,  2018, genius.com/Queen-the-show-must-go-on-lyrics.

Quoting the song in APA and Harvard format will be a little bit different and you must provide the copyright date:

Queen. (1991).  Innuendo.  [CD]. London: Metropolis Studios (Recorded 1990).

Quotation marks or Italics?

When you include lines from songs in your paper, you may ask Do you italicize song lyrics in an essay? Or you may be curious about how to write a song title in an essay. Well, there are simple rules to remember: titles of songs must be always surrounded by quotation marks while CD and album titles are always italicized. See the examples above.

Also, note that if the title of a song ends with a question mark or exclamation point, they should go inside of the quotation marks since they are a part of that title. If the punctuation is not a part of the song title, it should go beyond the quotation marks.

Things to consider

There are several unwritten rules you must follow when you are quoting song lyrics in your paper.

  • Stay away from clichés. These are “I hope you had the time of your life”, “We don’t need no education”, “You’ve got a friend in me”, “All you need is love” and so on.
  • Paraphrase. Don’t you dare to include the whole song in your essay? Your professor might remember his best years reading 10,000 lines of Paradise Lost but most likely he will not understand why you decided to make him nostalgic. Pick several lines that describe your point the best and cite them.
  • Appeal to the reader’s imagination. Any song is a melodic poem and therefore it should create some scenes in the readers’ heads. Cannot do that? Well, do not write lyrics in an essay, and better think of another way of describing your ideas. Using lyrics in your papers is not your strength.

Using wording from songs in your academic essay is a wonderful idea. However, make sure you cite them properly to make your paper professional.

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How to Quote a Song in a Paper (with Formatting & Examples)

Last Updated: September 17, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Marissa Levis and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Marissa Levis is an English Teacher in the Morris County Vocational School District. She previously worked as an English director at a tutoring center that caters to students in elementary and middle school. She is an expert in creating a curriculum that helps students advance their skills in secondary-level English, focusing on MLA formatting, reading comprehension, writing skills, editing and proofreading, literary analysis, standardized test preparation, and journalism topics. Marissa received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 323,575 times.

Depending on the type of paper you're writing, you may need to use a song as a reference – either a specific recording, or the composition of the song itself. The format of your citation will be somewhat different depending on whether you are using Modern Language Association (MLA) style, American Psychological Association (APA) style, or the format in the Chicago Manual of Style. You'll also need a brief, in-text citation to point the reader to the more complete citation at the end of your work. [1] X Research source

Step 1 Use the name of the performer to cite recordings.

  • The performer could be a single individual or a band. If you're using the name of a single person, use "last name, first name" format.
  • For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé.

Step 2 Use the name of the composer for compositions.

  • If there are multiple writers, list them all in the order they appear in the copyright information for the song. If the song has lyrics, there may be both a composer and a lyricist.
  • For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé and James Blake.

Step 3 Provide the name of the song.

  • For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé and James Blake. "Freedom."

Step 4 Include publication or recording information.

  • For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé and James Blake. "Freedom." Lemonade , Parkwood Entertainment, 2016.

Step 5 List the format and method of access.

  • For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé and James Blake. "Freedom." Lemonade , Parkwood Entertainment, 2016. Online, www.beyonce.com/album/lemonade-visual-album/, accessed January 9, 2017.

Step 6 Provide the name of the artist or composer for in-text citations.

  • Use the name you used in your full citation. Just use the first or primary name if there is more than one artist in the full citation. Include the title or a title phrase if you're citing more than one work by that artist.
  • For example: (Knowles-Carter, "Freedom")

Step 1 Start with the name of the songwriter or composer.

  • For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J.
  • If there are multiple writers and their roles are identified, you can put these in parentheses after their names. For example: Knowles-Carter, B. (Lyricist), & Blake, J. (Composer).

Step 2 Add the copyright year.

  • For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J. (2016).

Step 3 List the title of the song.

  • You also may want to include the name of the performing artist if they are known by a stage name or are otherwise not immediately identifiable by their last name.
  • For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J. (2016). Freedom [Recorded by Beyoncé].

Step 4 Provide the name of the album and medium.

  • For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J. (2016). Freedom. On Lemonade [CD].

Step 5 List publication or recording information.

  • Include state or country information if the city is not well-known. Otherwise, simply include the name of the city.
  • For example: Knowles-Carter, B., & Blake, J. (2016). Freedom. On Lemonade [CD]. New York City: Parkwood Entertainment (2016).

Step 6 Use the songwriter, copyright year, and track number for in-text citations.

  • For example: (Knowles-Carter & Blake, 2016, track 10)

Using Chicago Style

Step 1 Start with the name of the songwriter or composer.

  • For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, and James Blake.

Step 2 List the title of the song.

  • For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, and James Blake. Freedom .
  • If the performer of the song is someone different from the songwriters, include this information immediately after the title of the song or album by listing their first name and last name.
  • If the performer is more important than the songwriter or composer, you may want to list their name first. Use your best judgment depending on the focus of your paper.

Step 3 Provide publication or recording information.

  • If you can't find the recording number on the physical copy of the recording itself, look on www.discogs.com. Make sure you have the listing for the same recording as the one you're referencing.
  • For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, and James Blake. Freedom . On Lemonade . Parkwood Entertainment, 88985336822, 2016. [11] X Research source

Step 4 List the format and access information.

  • For example: For example: Knowles-Carter, Beyoncé, and James Blake. Freedom . On Lemonade . Parkwood Entertainment, 88985336822, 2016, CD.

Step 5 Use author-date style for parenthetical citations.

  • For example: (Knowles-Carter 2016).
  • To provide a pinpoint citation to a specific song, include the track number. For example: (Knowles-Carter 2016, track 10).

Community Q&A

Community Answer

  • If you're using Chicago style, list audio recordings separately in a discography that is separate from your main bibliography. [14] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • When you access music online, you may have difficulty finding the information you need for your citation. Try looking up the song on a website such as www.discogs.com, which will have publication information. [15] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

how to quote a song verse in an essay

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Expert Interview

how to quote a song verse in an essay

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about citations, check out our in-depth interview with Marissa Levis .

  • ↑ http://pitt.libguides.com/citationhelp
  • ↑ https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/12/how-to-cite-recorded-music-in-apa-style.html
  • ↑ http://www.ubishops.ca/wp-content/uploads/APAguide6thofficial.pdf
  • ↑ http://libguides.depauw.edu/c.php?g=73436&p=472435
  • ↑ https://www.discogs.com/release/8486714-Beyonc%C3%A9-Lemonade
  • ↑ http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html
  • ↑ http://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/chicago-turabian/how-to-cite-a-musical-recording-chicago-turabian/

About This Article

Marissa Levis

To cite a song using APA, start by putting the last name of the songwriter or composer, followed by their initials. Then, add the copyright year in parenthesis, and the title of the song. Next, start a new sentence with the word “on,” followed by the italicized name of the album and the medium you heard it on. End the citation with the location, the name of the recording company, and the recording year. For more information on citing songs, including in-text citations for MLA and Chicago style, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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