How to Cite an Image: APA, MLA and Chicago Format
Citing an image follows the same basic logic as citing any other source, but the rules vary significantly depending on where the image comes from: a museum, a website, a book, a stock photo platform, or a screenshot. This guide covers all three major citation styles with verified templates for each image type.
Quick Answer
To cite an image in APA 7th edition: Creator, A. (Year). Title of image [Format]. Source. URL. In MLA 9th edition: Creator Last Name, First Name. "Title of Image." Website or Container, Day Month Year, URL. In Chicago Notes-Bibliography: Creator First Name Last Name, Title, Year, Format, Institution or Website, URL. The key element across all three styles is the format description in brackets or as a note, which tells the reader what kind of image they are looking at.
When Do You Need to Cite an Image?
You need to cite an image whenever you use one that you did not create yourself. This includes:
- Images you reproduce directly in your paper (figures, diagrams, photographs)
- Images you refer to or analyse in your text without reproducing them
- Artwork discussed in an essay, even if your reader must look it up elsewhere
You do not need to cite an image when it is in the public domain and you are working in a context where attribution is not required by the licence. However, in academic writing it is always safer to include a citation, even for public domain works.
One important distinction in APA style: if you reproduce an image as a figure in your paper, you need a figure caption with a copyright attribution note below the image, in addition to the reference list entry. If you only refer to the image in text without reproducing it, a standard in-text citation and reference list entry are sufficient.
Image Types and What You Need to Cite Them
The information required varies by image type. This table shows what to collect before you write your citation.
| Image Type | Creator | Title | Year | Format | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online photograph | Photographer | Caption or filename | Upload year | [Photograph] | Website name + URL |
| Museum artwork | Artist | Official title | Year created | [Painting], [Sculpture], etc. | Museum name + city |
| Book illustration | Artist/Author | Figure or plate title | Publication year | [Illustration] | Book title + page |
| Stock image | Photographer | Stock title or description | Upload year | [Photograph] | Platform + URL |
| Screenshot | You (or app creator) | Description in brackets | Year of access | [Screenshot] | Application or website |
| Infographic | Creator or organisation | Title | Year | [Infographic] | Website + URL |
| Map | Creator or authority | Map title | Year | [Map] | Source + URL |
APA Format: How to Cite an Image
APA 7th edition treats images as visual works. The authoritative guidance is split across two pages on the APA Style website: artwork references for museum works and clip art/stock image references for online images.
APA: Online Image or Photograph
Template:
Creator, A. A. (Year). Title of image [Format]. Website Name. URL
Example:
Denali National Park and Preserve. (2013). Lava [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/denalinps/8639280606/
APA in-text:
(Denali National Park and Preserve, 2013)
APA: Museum Artwork
Per the APA Style artwork references page, museum works are cited with the museum name and location in the source element.
Template:
Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of work [Format]. Museum Name, City, Country. URL
Example:
van Gogh, V. (1889). The starry night [Oil on canvas]. Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, United States. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802
APA in-text:
(van Gogh, 1889)
APA: Image Reproduced as a Figure in Your Paper
When you include an image directly in your paper, APA requires both a figure caption above the image and a copyright attribution note below it. The note goes in the figure note section and follows this format:
Note. From Title [Format], by Creator, Year, Website/Museum. Licence type.
Example figure note:
Note. From Lava [Photograph], by Denali National Park and Preserve, 2013, Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/denalinps/8639280606/). CC BY 2.0.
APA: Screenshot or Image Without a Title
If an image has no official title, provide a brief description in square brackets in place of a title.
Example:
Google. (2024). [Screenshot of Google Maps showing central London] [Screenshot]. Google Maps. https://maps.google.com
Key APA Rules for Images
- Always include a format description in square brackets: [Photograph], [Painting], [Infographic], [Map], [Screenshot]
- Use sentence case for the title
- For museum works, include the museum name and city
- For reproduced figures, a copyright attribution note below the image replaces the in-text citation
MLA Format: How to Cite an Image
MLA 9th edition uses the same container system as for other sources. The MLA Style Center provides guidance on citing visual works.
MLA: Online Image
Template:
Creator Last Name, First Name. "Title of Image." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.
Example:
McCurry, Steve. "Afghan Girl." National Geographic, June 1985, www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/2013/9/afghan-girl/.
MLA: Museum Artwork
Template:
Artist Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. Year, Museum Name, City.
Example:
van Gogh, Vincent. The Starry Night. 1889, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
If you accessed the image on a museum website, add the URL:
van Gogh, Vincent. The Starry Night. 1889, Museum of Modern Art, New York, www.moma.org/collection/works/79802.
MLA: Image in a Book
Template:
Artist Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. Year. Book Title, Author First Last, Publisher, Year, p. Page.
Example:
Picasso, Pablo. Guernica. 1937. Art of the 20th Century, edited by Karl Ruhrberg, Taschen, 2005, p. 142.
MLA: Image Used as a Figure in Your Paper
MLA recommends labelling each image as a figure (Fig. 1, Fig. 2 etc.) and placing a caption below it. The caption can include a shortened citation; the full citation goes in the Works Cited list.
Example caption:
Fig. 1. Van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889.
MLA In-Text Citation
Use the creator's last name, or a shortened title if there is no identifiable creator:
(van Gogh)
("Afghan Girl")
Key MLA Rules for Images
- Artwork titles are italicised
- Museum name and city go in the location element
- Label figures in the text as Fig. 1, Fig. 2 etc.
- Include "Web" or the specific URL depending on how you accessed the image
Chicago Format: How to Cite an Image
Chicago style (Notes-Bibliography) handles images in footnotes, with full details optionally appearing in the bibliography. Chicago also allows figures to be cited in captions only, without a bibliography entry, if the image is not central to the argument.
Chicago: Online Image
Footnote:
First Name Last Name, "Title," Format, Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL.
Example:
- Denali National Park and Preserve, "Lava," Photograph, Flickr, 2013, https://www.flickr.com/photos/denalinps/8639280606/.
Bibliography:
Last Name, First Name. "Title." Format. Website Name, Month Day, Year. URL.
Chicago: Museum Artwork
Footnote:
First Name Last Name, Title, Year, Medium, Museum Name, City.
Example:
- Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Bibliography:
Van Gogh, Vincent. The Starry Night. 1889. Oil on canvas. Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Chicago: Image in a Figure Caption
Chicago allows you to provide the citation directly in the figure caption, in which case no separate footnote or bibliography entry is required for that image.
Example caption:
Figure 1. Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889, oil on canvas, 73.7 x 92.1 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Key Chicago Rules for Images
- Medium or format description is included as plain text, not in brackets
- For images in figure captions, a separate bibliography entry is optional
- Footnotes use the author's full name on first citation, shortened form thereafter
- Include dimensions for museum artworks when relevant
Comparison Table: APA vs MLA vs Chicago for Images
| Element | APA 7th | MLA 9th | Chicago NB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Last name, Initials | Last name, First name | First name Last name |
| Title | Italics, sentence case | Italics for standalone works | Italics |
| Format description | [Photograph] in brackets | Optional, plain text | Plain text after title |
| Year position | After creator in brackets | Near end of entry | After title |
| Museum location | Museum Name, City, Country | Museum Name, City | Museum Name, City |
| URL | Required for online images | Required for online images | Required for online images |
| Figure caption | Figure number + title + note | Fig. number + caption | Figure number + caption |
Special Cases
Image with No Author
APA: Begin the reference with the title. Use an organisation or platform name if no individual creator is credited.
MLA: Begin the Works Cited entry with the title of the image.
Chicago: Begin the footnote and bibliography entry with the title.
Image with No Date
APA: Use (n.d.) in place of the year. If there is no date and the content may change, add a retrieval date after the format description.
MLA: Omit the date element if genuinely unavailable.
Chicago: Include "n.d." in the position where the date would appear.
Screenshot
Screenshots are tricky because you are typically both the creator and the person who accessed the content. In APA, describe the screenshot in brackets and cite the application or website as the source. In MLA, begin with a description of what the screenshot shows. In Chicago, use a figure caption with a brief description and the date of access.
Image Found via Google Images
Google Images is a search engine, not a source. Find the original website where the image is hosted and cite that. The URL should point to the page on which the image appears, not to a Google search result.
Creative Commons Images
Creative Commons images require attribution even when they are free to use. Include the licence type in your citation or figure note. In APA, add the CC licence after the URL in the figure note: "CC BY 2.0." In MLA and Chicago, you can note the licence in parentheses or in a figure caption.
Image from a Book
Cite the book as the container. The image title or description goes in the title position, and the book title appears as the container. Include the page number where the image appears.
Common Mistakes When Citing Images
1. Citing Google Images instead of the original source
Google Images is not a source. The image lives on another website. Right-click the image, choose "visit page," and cite the original URL. Citing Google Images is the equivalent of citing a library catalogue instead of the book itself.
2. Omitting the format description in APA
APA requires a description of the image type in square brackets: [Photograph], [Painting], [Infographic], [Map]. Without this, the reader does not know what kind of source they are looking at.
3. Using the wrong title
Many online images have no formal title. In this case, write a brief descriptive title in square brackets (APA) or in quotation marks (MLA/Chicago). Do not leave the title element blank.
4. Not distinguishing between reproducing and referencing
If you include the image in your paper as a figure, you need a caption, a figure note with copyright attribution (APA), and a reference list entry. If you only mention the image in text without reproducing it, a standard in-text citation and reference entry are sufficient. The requirements differ.
5. Assuming public domain images need no citation
In academic writing, even public domain images should be cited. The citation tells your reader where you found the image and allows them to verify or examine it themselves.
FAQ: Citing Images
Do I need to cite an image I found on Google? You need to cite the original source, not Google. Google Images indexes images hosted on other websites. Find the original page where the image appears and cite that URL. If you cannot find the original source, do not use the image in academic work.
How do I cite an image with no author? In APA, begin the reference with the title or a bracketed description. In MLA, begin the Works Cited entry with the title. In Chicago, begin the footnote with the title. Use the hosting organisation as the author if no individual is credited.
Do I need to cite images that are in the public domain? Technically you are not legally required to, but in academic writing you should cite them anyway. A citation tells your reader where you found the image and demonstrates that you have traced it to a verifiable source.
How do I cite an image I took myself? You do not need to cite your own images in a reference list. However, if you reproduce your own photograph as a figure in APA style, you still need a figure number and title, and may add a note indicating the image is your own.
What is the difference between a figure caption and a reference list entry? A figure caption appears directly below the image in your paper. It labels the figure (Fig. 1) and gives basic identifying information. The reference list entry appears at the end of the paper and provides all the details a reader would need to find the image themselves. In APA, when you reproduce an image, you need both: a caption above, a copyright note below, and a full reference list entry.
How do I cite a screenshot? Describe the screenshot content in brackets in place of a title. Cite the application or website as the source. Include the date you accessed it. Screenshots are treated as images from websites, with the added note that you captured the image yourself.
Can I cite an image from Wikipedia? Yes, but check where Wikipedia sourced the image. Wikipedia images typically have a file page that lists the original creator, date, and licence. Cite the original source, not the Wikipedia article. Many Wikipedia images are from Wikimedia Commons, which provides full attribution details.
How do I cite an infographic? Treat it like any online image. In APA: Creator. (Year). Title of infographic [Infographic]. Website Name. URL. In MLA: Creator Last Name, First Name. "Title." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.
Summary
Citing an image requires identifying the creator, the title or a descriptive label, the year, the format, and where you found it. The format description in brackets (APA) or as plain text (MLA/Chicago) is the element most often omitted. If you reproduce the image in your paper, you also need a figure label and, in APA, a copyright attribution note. The source matters: always cite the original website or museum, not a search engine or aggregator.
Managing Image Sources in Your Research
When you are writing a thesis with multiple figures from different sources, keeping track of image origins, licences, and citation details can become a separate task in itself. Academly's Citation Manager lets you store bibliographic details for all your sources, including visual works, in one place and export them in RIS format for Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote.