Epigraph Attribution

An epigraph attribution is the credit line under an opening quotation. Convention keeps it short and unpunctuated by full citation apparatus: an em dash, the author's name, and usually the work in italics.

Epigraphs sit outside the argument, so they are not numbered or footnoted in most styles. If the source needs a fuller reference — an archival letter, an interview, a translation — put it in the acknowledgements or a notes page rather than under the epigraph.

Translated epigraphs should name the translator, since the wording being quoted is theirs. Epigraphs from living writers or from song lyrics usually need permission, which is a separate matter from attribution.

Common mistake: attributing to the character rather than the book, or the reverse. If the line is spoken in a novel, name the author and title; add the character only when it matters.