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APA Guide

This guide contains information to help you cite your sources in APA format.

Citing Images or Graphs

Please see below for APA guidelines on how to cite images or graphs for your References page and also how to cite when you add to your project and papers.

Basic Format: Creator Last Name, Creator First Initial. (Year). Title of image/graph [Type of Media/Description]. Website Name. DOI/URL

*Note: If you are including the actual image or table in your paper or project, see how to add format citations for figures on the Using Image or Graph in a Presentation/Paper(APA) tab.

Helpful Information

Title:

For the image title, capitalize only proper nouns and the first word of the article title and subtitle. Also italicize the video title.

Note: If the image does not have a title, use brackets around the whole description and include media in the brackets as the title. Example: [Photograph of a little boy with chicken pox rash on his face]. 

For the website name, capitalize all the significant words in the title. Do not use italics or quotation marks.

Note: If you mention an image title in your paper, all major words should be capitalized and it should be in italics.

Creator:

Usernames can be included in place of creator’s real name if real name is not known. If both real name and username are known, include both with username listed second, in brackets.  

Type of Media/Description:

Describe the work in square brackets []. Example:[PowerPoint slides], [Digital images], [Infographics], [Maps], [Photographs], [Painting], [Clip art], [Online images] etc. Note: You only included this when the URL goes directly to the image. If it goes to the source where the image exists like an ebook or website article, do not include. 

DOI/URL:

DOI is preferred over URL if it exists. Present URL’s as hyperlinks beginning with http:// or https:// taking the reader directly to the source.

Formatting:

Double space entries. If an entry runs more than one line, use a hanging indent to indent any additional lines beyond the first.

Acceptable abbreviations can be found on pp. 306-7 of the APA manual.

If what you are citing is not listed in APA manual, choose the example in the manual most like your source.    

Citing an Image from an Image Website(APA)

These are how to cite if you are citing an image from a website devoted to providing images like Flickr, Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, Noun Project, Unsplash, Pexels. The URL should link directly to the image.  

Format: Creator Last Name, Creator First Initial. (Year, Month Day).Title of image/graph [Type of Media/Description]. Website Name. URL

*Note: Type of Media/Description: Describe the work in square brackets []. Example:[PowerPoint slides], [Digital images], [Infographics], [Maps], [Photographs], [Painting], [Clip art], [Online images] etc.

Image/Graph with Title on Image Website

Example: Nino, G. L., (n.d). Border Patrol agent reads the Miranda rights to a Mexican national arrested for transporting drugs. WikimediaCommons. Retrieved September 14, 2024, from, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CBP_Border_Patrol_agent_reads_the_Miranda_rights.jpg

Image/Graph without Title on a Website

Sometimes you might have to cite an image that does not have a formal title. When that happens, include [a description of the image] in square brackets with media description as well in place of the title. 

Example: Pasja100. (2019, May 6). [Photograph of large green fern with other plants in background]. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/green-fern-flora-plants-botany-4183977/

Citing an Image or Graph with a Direct Link(APA)

If there is a link to the image (.jpeg, .gif, .png, etc), you would cite the image even if these images appear in a source such as a book, journal, website article, or database.

Format:  Creator Last Name, Creator First Initial. (Year). Title of image [Type of Media/Description]. Source. URL

*Note: Type of Media/Description: Describe the work in square brackets []. Example:[PowerPoint slides], [Digital images], [Infographics], [Maps], [Photographs], [Painting], [Clip art], [Online images] etc.

 

Image/Graph from a Database

Example from AnatomyTV: Anatomy.TV. (n.d). Chambers of the heart [Digital image]. Retrieved February 14, 2025, from https://online.statref.com/entry.aspx?lt=Anatomy&grpalias=PASC&atvParams=https://www.anatomy.tv/anatomytv/gotoview.aspx?embeddedcode=5EFB8FE

Example from Statista: GWI & DataReportal. (2024). Daily time spent on social networking by internet users worldwide from 2012 to 2024 (in minutes) [Infographic]. We Are Social; DataReportal; Hootsuite. https://www-statista-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/

Example from Credo: U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2019). Table 10-3. Immigrants to the United States, by region of origin, 1820–2019 [Data set]. Credo Reference. https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NTA0MDE2Mw==?q=Immigration&jumpTo=fig_10.4135_9781071836903-table152.jpg

Image/Graph from Website

Example 1:  Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (n.d.). Atopic dermatitis behind the knees. Mayo Clinic [Online image]. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/-/media/kcms/gbs/patient-consumer/images/2013/11/15/17/42/sn7_atopicdermatitis1.jpg

Example 2 (no title so put a description in square brackets): Getty Images. (n.d.) [Photograph of Charles Manson being escorted by two men in suits and a police officer after his arrest in black and white]. BBC. Retrieved April 3, 2025, from https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/6100/live/535ad2c0-a271-11ef-8f42-3b1b720c6f90.jpg.webp

Example 3: Lutz, E. (2014). An animated chart of 42 North American butterflies [Infographic]. Tabletop Whale. https://tabletopwhale.com/img/posts/08-27-14.gif

Citing an Image or Graph from a Source without Direct Link(APA)

If the image does not have a direct link to it (.jpeg, .gif, .png, etc), you would cite the source that contains the image.

Part of a Book Format: Author(s) of Part. (Year). Title of part. In Editor's Name (Ed.), Title of book in italics (Edition ed., Vol. volume number, pp. page numbers of part). Publisher. DOI/URL

Example: Alic, M. (2020). Zika Virus Disease. In J. L. Longe (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (6th ed., Vol. 9, pp. 5610-5614).

Journal Article Format: Author(s). (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal in Italics, Volume number in italics(issue number), page numbers of article. DOI/URL

Example: Kraft JK, Brandao LR, Navarro OM, Kraft, J. K., Brandão, L. R., & Navarro, O. M. (2011). Sonography of renal venous thrombosis in neonates and infants: can we predict outcome? Pediatric Radiology, 41(3), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00247-010-1817-1

Website Article Format: Author(s). (Year, Month Day). Title of article in italics. Website Name. URL 

Example: BYJU. (n.d.). Energy currency of the cell. Retrieved March 23, 2025, from https://byjus.com/biology/energy-currency-of-the-cell/

Citing Images in a Presentation

In APA, all types of graphical displays besides tables are considered figures. The standards for good figures include simplicity, clarity, continuity, and informational value.

There are 3 options for handling images in APA

  1. No Reference or note is needed as the image states or is from a source that you do not need to cite. This would Microsoft Clipart or images as the do not need copyright attributes as you have the license by having license to the program. You can also find images on the internet that do not require attribution, but they should be clearly label they do not need attribution, 
  2. Use a copyrighted image as it is. Instead of an in-text citation, you must use a copyright attribution. The copyright attribution consists of the same elements as the reference source, but they are in a different order. It would be Title (all major words capitalized), by author (by ...), date, source information, (URL) (in Parentheses), followed by the name of license or copyright holder of the image. 
  3. Adapt or alter a copyrighted image. Altering could be cropping or adding text or highlights or shapes like arrows or boxes.  You need to add the words "Adapted from" before the copyright attribution.  The copyright attribution consists of the same elements as the reference source, but they are in a different order. Title (all major words capitalized), by author (by ...), date, source information, (URL) (in Parentheses), followed by the name of license or copyright holder of the image.

Figure Components

  • Number: The figure number (e.g. Figure 1) appears above the figure in bold. Each number would be unique and progress. This is optional in APA, but considered good form and some instructors require it.
  • Title: The figure title appears one double-spaced line below the figure number in italic title case (e.g. Anatomy of a Dolphin (Delphinidae)) but still above the image. This is also optional in APA, but considered good form and some instructors require it.
  • Image: The image portion of the figure would be the chart, graph, photograph, drawing, or other illustration itself.
  • Legend: A figure legend, or key, if present should be positioned with the border of the figure and explain any symbols in the figure.
  • Note: Add Note. This is required unless the image states or is of the sort  that attribution needed.   If the image is copyrighted, you must include the note. Common sources for stock images and clip art are articles and books, which copyright holders like iStock, Getty Images, Adobe Stock, Shutterstock, Pixabay, and Flickr. Common sources for clip art are Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint. Notes are under the image. There are three types of notes: general, specific, and probability. These will appear below the figure to describe the contents of the image if information needs to be explained (e.g. units of measurement, definitions of abbreviations, citation and copyright attributions, etc.) that cannot be understood from the title, image, and legend.
  • If you list the copyright attribute information in the note, list "From"  then title, author, date, source, URL, followed by the name of license or copyright holder of the image. You will still list citations on the reference page for images. On reference page, the entry for the image will generally include its author, year of publication, title, and source (usually the name of the website and the URL).

*Note-The title in the From statement will either be in quotation marks or in italics in addition to title case depending on how it is listed on the reference page. If the title of the work is not italicized in your reference list, use double quotation marks and title case capitalization. Examples of this would be: "Book Chapters," Magazine or Journal Article Title." If the title of the work is italicized in your reference list, then it will stay italicized in your From statement but all major words will be capitalized. Examples of this would be: Photograghs or Table Names, Book Titles, Website Article Titles. 

Examples

​Example 1: If you used copyright image "as is" from the original source which is a journal in a database.

Figure 7

Solution for Long-Term Patients on Ventilators to Communicate Using Microphone

 

Photo of microphone to attach to ventilator

Note: From "Using a Novel In-mask Non-invasive Ventilator Microphone to Improve Talker Intelligibility in Healthy and Hospitalised Adults,"  by Young, E. D., Ferguson, S. H., Brewer, L. M., Schiedermayer, B. F., Brown, S. M., & Leither, L. M., 2024, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 26(6), p. 846, (https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2251726).Copyright 2024 by ReddyPort Inc.

Example 2 If you used copyright image "as is" from the original source which is website that just provides images.

Figure 4

Shingles vaccines; Shingrix and Zostavax

Photo of Shingles vaccines; Shingrix and Zostavax

Note: From File:Shingles Vaccines.jpg [Photograph], by Whispyhistory, 2021, Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shingles_vaccines.jpg). CC by 4.0.

Example 3 If you made some changes to the image from the original source use Adapted in front of the source information, Example from Website Article.

Figure 15

Anatomy of a Dolphin-Highlighting Breathing Organs in Red

Note. Red boxes are around organs related to a dolphin's breathing. Adapted from Understanding Dolphin Anatomy, by American Oceans, 2025 (https://www.americanoceans.org/facts/dolphin-anatomy/). Copyright 2025 American Oceans.

Example 4 This example you used a picture of clipart from PowerPoint. You do not need to add a note as do not need a copyright statement, but you can if you want to include other information . It also will not be added to your References page. 

Image of DNA strand

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

References

American Oceans. (2024). Understanding dolphin anatomy. https://www.americanoceans.org/facts/dolphin-anatomy/

Whispyhistory. (2025, February 16). File:Shingles vaccines.jpg [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shingles_vaccines.jpg.

Young, E. D., Ferguson, S. H., Brewer, L. M., Schiedermayer, B. F., Brown, S. M., & Leither, L. M. (2024). Using a novel in-mask non-invasive ventilator microphone to improve talker intelligibility in healthy and hospitalised adults. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 26(6), 845–860. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2251726

APA Style Clip Art or Stock Image References -This lists the requirements for using clip art and stock images in APA Style papers and presentations.

APA Style Blog -Navigating Copyright for Reproduced Images: Overview -  This has information about using your images and has links to 4 additional pages on understanding the copyright status of the image, determining whether permission is necessary to reproduce the image, securing permission to reproduce the image, if permission is needed, and how to write the APA Style copyright statement and reference list entry for the image.

APA Style Sample Figures - These sample figures illustrate how to set up figures in APA Style. Note that any kind of visual display that is not a table is considered a figure.

Citing Tables, Figures & Images: APA (7th ed.) Citation Guide - Simon Fraser University provides this pretty good guide on how to cite figures/tables and images with very good examples.

Images: APA - Portland State University has examples of the different types of APA image captions on slides as well in-text and reference entries.