Finding song lyrics that add more weight by highlighting the points discussed interestingly is possible, whichever topic an essay is based on. However, the primary focus should be copyright infringements and plagiarism that might arise even from the briefest song lyrics excerpt. The lecturer will let you know whether to apply the modern language association format or other relevant styles from the essay writing prompt. If citing music lyrics still poses a challenge, don’t fret. Here’re some recommendations to make the process less cumbersome, regardless of a song’s sound recording medium:
- Look for a unique song
- Relate the song lyrics to the content of the paper
- Make it understandable to the reviewer
- Sample relevant areas of the song
- Utilize the specified format
The goal is to keep the professor engaged from the introduction to the conclusion and showcase your creativity. Therefore, citing music lyrics portrays your creativity and makes the task readable. Whether it is the modern language association format or APA, follow it meticulously. Paying attention to detail will help you avoid errors such as omitting quotation marks.
Quoting and Citing Music Lyrics Inside an Essay's Text
Plagiarism is a factor that all students should consider in essay writing. A plagiarized essay mostly arises from miswriting quotations and references. It might be unintentional, but costly. Therefore, it is essential to consider the regulations that guide incorporating song lyrics in an essay.
To avoid plagiarism in essay writing, add a segment of the track to the scholarly work, not the whole song. And this is achieved through proper quotations. Placing lyrics inside quotation marks is a sign you aren’t the track’s creator.
The primary concern about incorporating song lyrics in an essay in APA is that there is a lack of specific provisions about quoting musical works. However, applying the different principles used to cite other sources is okay. It means that for APA, one has to follow the normal APA in text citations, which include the “who” and “when”
The “who” is the songwriter’s name, and the “when” is the musical work’s publication date. Aside from the publication date, you can add the song number, or if you’re using printed lyrics, include the page number from where the musical lines were retrieved. Also, it is vital to paraphrase the lyrics inside quotation marks.
So the citation will appear as follows; “She said she is too young to have friends” (Nysync, 2016, track 4). The commas are essential, so pay attention to them. Noteworthy, when using several lines from the track that amount to a stanza, it is best to apply the block format quotation, i.e., separating lines from the text. If you borrow the music lyrics from a printed booklet, indicate the booklet number in place of the song number.
Things are a bit different in the modern language association format. Specifically, only the singers’ names appear in the in text citations. Referring to the above example, the citation for an MLA format essay will appear as (Nysync) accompanied by the retrieved music lyrics under quotation marks.
Proper Way to Quote Songs in MLA
Quoting in MLA style might be confusing for most students, and they can be forced to look for a paper writing service to help complete the work. So here’s how to quote the lyrics of a song accurately in MLA style, irrespective of the sound recording medium used.
If the lines you want to quote are less than four, you should run them into the text, place quote marks around the lines, and separate them with a forward slash. Example: Mark Willy sang, “I turned the ignition, I listened, it didn’t crank / What should I do to get there.”
If you quote song lyrics encompassing four or more lines, set them apart from the text. Example:
In “Heading to My Destination,” Mark Willy sings:
I checked with my mechanic
Everything was super fine
I knew I would be there in no time
But I was wrong because it wasn’t my time
Quoting Lyrics in References
Wondering, “Who should I hire to write my paper for me and quote music lyrics properly?” Well, you can still do it by observing the following for any sound recording medium used for the song. Giving the song owner accolades should be done in the in text citations and the referencing. The reference is a more detailed version than the song title. APA referencing for song lyrics follows the usual APA principles for citing other sources. You will still use the who, when, and where; only this time, the song’s title will be included.
Also, note that when using music lyrics for songs with multiple versions, it is vital to indicate the version of the song that will be used in the college essay. In text citations always guide the reference since they come first, meaning the reference should be of the version used.
So, in this case, the reference will appear as Nysync. (2000). Bye Bye. No Strings Attached (Album name should be in italics). Jive record label.
For MLA style, the referencing will appear as Nysync. “Bye Bye.” No Strings Attached (italicized). Jive Records 2000. From these two formats, one can note that some of the major details available on the referencing list include the following:
- Album name
- Record label
- Song’s release date
- Song title
When to Use Quote Marks and Italics
Many students often get confused about using quotation marks in their papers. It is easy to confuse the two, especially in the order in which they appear. When citing music lyrics, such minor errors can count for copyright infringement. But if you pay attention to detail, it is easy to avoid such mistakes. Before using any music lyrics, it is best to look at the difference between them to ensure the final formatting of the lyrics you intend to use is perfect.
Italics and quotation marks indicate the reader’s attention to a particular essay section. The essay has a nice flow when one follows the right quotation marks and italics formatting. Italics primarily indicate song titles, books, and much more. In contrast, quotation marks are customarily used to indicate titles of chapters in a book, album songs, and much more. Additionally, titles of short fiction items are usually written using quotation marks, while those of long works are italicized. Also, if one uses a foreign term in their work, even a song title, it should be italicized.
Bottom Line
Quotations of song lyrics in an essay should appear naturally. The Song lyrics should blend in with the themes discussed in the essay and bring out strong points. Note that sources such as song lyrics in an academic essay are meant to complement the strong points and give them more weight. Therefore, it is important to consider the song selection and its role in the essay. After the song selection, ensure the citations and references are in order, including adding lyrics inside quotation marks.
Remember that you can only include some parts of the song and add quotation marks to signify that they are not your words. If you have been unsure about the format for quoting song lyrics in a college essay, you can use the above pointers to make your essay an interesting read.
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