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APA Referencing Guide 7th Edition: Images from an electronic source

A guide to help users create citations using APA (American Psychological Association) style, 7th edition

Helpful Tips

Where can I go to find images?

If you locate an image online you need to determine who the source is as well as the copyright restrictions.

See our Images Research Guide for more information on Images and Copyright.

Below are a few good places to locate online images.

NOTE: Although some images are in the Public Domain and do not require attribution, you should always follow your instructor's requirements for citing images.

 

Image

General Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the Image [Image]. Website name. URL

Example:

Lewis, A. (2020). Proof found  [Image]. Borgen. https://borgen.com.au/images/title/0049

 Reference Source:  APA 7th Ed Manual Made Easy: Full concise Guide Simplified for Students). p70

Photograph

  • If the photograph does not have a title, briefly describe it with your own words and use the description instead of title: 
    • Put the description of photograph in square brackets. 

General Format:

Photographer, A. A. (Year). Title of photograph [Photograph]. Publisher, URL

Photographer, A.A. (Year). [Description of photograph] [Photograph]. Publisher. URL 

Example: 

Lee, U. (2021). [Striking men] [ Photograph]. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/article/440395

Reference Source:  APA 7th Ed Manual Made Easy: Full concise Guide Simplified for Students). p70

Images, Diagrams from an electronic source

Images, diagrams and artistic works should be cited as you would cite any other type of work.

Note:

  • Images in text are also generally accompanied by a caption that includes copyright information and a statement of permission for use. Please check with your lecturer to see if this is necessary.

Tip: You should give as much information as possible about the images that you have used, including these basics:

  • creator's name (author, artist, photographer, etc.)
  • date the work was published or created
  • title of the work
  • place of publication
  • publisher
  • type of material (for photographs, charts, online images)
  • website address and access date
  • name of the institution or museum where the work is located (for artworks and museum exhibits)
  • dimensions of the work (for artworks)

General Format

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):    (Artist Surname, Year)

In-Text Citation (Quotation):      (Artist Surname, Year)

References:

Artist Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year). Title of the artwork [Format]. Title of the Website. URL (address of web site)

References (No Author): Title of work [Type of work]. (Year image was created). Title of the Website. URL (address of web site)

References (No Author, No Title, No Date): [Subject and type of work]. Title of the Website. URL (address of web site)

Many images found on the Web fall under this category. Try to locate the missing information by clicking on the image, and/or looking at the bottom of the image.

Example

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):    (Baumel, 2010)

In-Text Citation (Quotation):      (Baumel, 2010)

References (Basic): Baumel, A. (2010). Cholera treatment center in Haiti [Online image]. Doctors Without Borders. https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

References (No Author): Flu epidemic [Online image]. (1919). History. http://www.history.net/photo/flu-epidemic-art/collections

References (No Author, No Title, No Date): [Untitled illustration of a sleeping dog]. Sleeping Animals. https://www.sleepinganimals/pix.com