How to Cite an Image

What You Need to Cite an Image

To correctly cite an image, illustration, chart, or photograph, gather as much of the following information as possible:

• Creator’s name: Artist, photographer, or designer.
• Title of the image: Use italics or quotation marks depending on style.
• Date of creation or publication: Year or full date if available.
• Source or platform: Website, book, exhibition, or database where the image appears.
• URL or DOI (for online sources): The full, stable link to the image.
• Image type or format: e.g. photograph, painting, chart, digital illustration (optional but useful).
• Access date: Required in some styles for online visuals.

For example, if citing an image found on a museum website, you’ll likely cite the artist, title, year, museum name, and URL — along with an access date if using Harvard or Chicago.

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How to Cite an Image in APA Style (7th Edition)

APA style treats images as standalone works, similar to books or articles. If you include an image in your work, also label it as a figure and include a caption. The full citation goes in your reference list.

📌 Format:

Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of work [Description]. Source or site name. URL

📷 Example (Online Photograph):

In-text citation: (Adams, 1942)
Reference list:
Adams, A. (1942). Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico [Photograph]. The Ansel Adams Gallery. https://www.anseladams.com/moonrise/

📊 Example (Chart from Website):

In-text citation: (World Health Organization, 2023)
Reference list:
World Health Organization. (2023). COVID-19 vaccination rates by region [Chart]. WHO. https://www.who.int/data/covid-vaccine-chart

Always include the format in square brackets (e.g. [Photograph], [Infographic], [Chart]) and give a descriptive but concise title if none is provided.

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How to Cite an Image in MLA Style (9th Edition)

MLA treats images as “containers.” Include the artist or creator, the title of the image, the site or book it appears in, the publisher (if available), the date, and the URL. MLA citations use title case and end with the access date if the image has no publication date.

📌 Format:

Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Image . Year, Website or Container , URL.

🖼️ Example (Digital Artwork from Website):

In-text citation: (Gorman)
Works Cited:
Gorman, Sasha. Birds in Blue Light . 2021, Digital Artists Archive , https://digitalarchive.org/birds-blue.

📊 Example (Infographic from Blog Post):

In-text citation: (“Mental Health Statistics”)
Works Cited:
“Mental Health Statistics.” Calm Blog , 3 May 2022, https://calm.com/blog/mental-health-stats.

Italicise the image title and the name of the website or container. Use quotation marks only if the image has no official title.

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How to Cite an Image in Harvard Style

In Harvard referencing, images are cited much like other online sources. Include the creator (or organisation), year, title or description, format in square brackets, and access details.

📌 Format:

Author or organisation (Year) Title or description of image [Format]. Website or source. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

🖼️ Example (Museum Artwork):

In-text citation: (The British Museum, 2020)
Reference list:
The British Museum (2020) Roman glass vase [Photograph]. British Museum Collection. Available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/glass-vase (Accessed: 24 May 2025).

📈 Example (Graph from Online Report):

In-text citation: (UNICEF, 2023)
Reference list:
UNICEF (2023) Child nutrition data by region [Graph]. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/reports/nutrition-graph (Accessed: 10 May 2025).

Always include the format in brackets (e.g. [Photograph], [Graph], [Painting]) and provide the access date for all online images.

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How to Cite an Image in Chicago Style

Chicago style offers two systems: Notes and Bibliography and Author–Date . Both require the artist or creator, title of the image, medium or format, location or source, and access date for online works.

📘 Notes and Bibliography (Footnote + Bibliography)

Footnote format:

1. Artist First Last, Title of Work , Year, medium, institution or website, URL.

Example Footnote:

1. Georgia O’Keeffe, Red Canna , 1924, oil on canvas, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, https://www.okeeffemuseum.org/red-canna.

Bibliography entry:

O’Keeffe, Georgia. Red Canna . 1924. Oil on canvas. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. https://www.okeeffemuseum.org/red-canna.

📗 Author–Date System

In-text citation: (O’Keeffe 1924)

Reference list:

O’Keeffe, Georgia. 1924. Red Canna . Oil on canvas. Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. https://www.okeeffemuseum.org/red-canna.

Include as much descriptive detail as needed (format, institution, etc.). Always italicise titles and include access dates for online images if no date is provided.

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Reusing Images: Attribution, Copyright & Fair Use

Citing an image correctly is just one part of using it legally and ethically. Here’s what you need to know when including an image in your work:

🔒 Copyright and Permissions

• ✅ Always check whether the image is copyrighted. If it is, you may need permission to use it — especially in published work.
• 📚 Educational use may fall under fair use , but this varies by country and context.
• 🔗 Look for Creative Commons licenses (e.g., CC BY) which allow use with attribution.

📝 How to Give Attribution

If an image requires attribution, follow this pattern unless otherwise stated:

Title by Author, Year, licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Source or Platform.

📷 Example (Creative Commons Attribution):

Cityscape at Dusk by Jane Lee, 2021, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Flickr. https://flickr.com/photos/janelee/cityscape

When in doubt, include a citation and brief caption near the image and list the full citation in your bibliography or reference list.

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Quick Reference Table: Citing Images by Style

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FAQs About Citing Images