How to Cite an Image in APA 7th Edition

Images, figures, and visual works are increasingly common in academic papers, from photographs and infographics to maps and data visualizations. Citing these sources correctly in APA 7th edition is essential both to give proper credit and to avoid copyright issues. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) addresses visual works in Section 10.14, providing templates for photographs, artwork, maps, clip art, and other image types. This guide walks through the official template, eight worked examples covering the most common image scenarios, special cases, frequent mistakes, and a quick-reference table so you can format any image citation with confidence.

If you want to skip the manual formatting, you can use the AllCitations APA 7 generator to build a correctly formatted reference in seconds. For guidance on citing other source types, see our guide on how to cite a book in APA 7th edition. But understanding the underlying rules for images is important because visual works require both a figure note in the paper and a reference list entry, and automated tools do not always handle both components.

The Official APA Rule

According to Section 10.14 of the APA Publication Manual (7th ed.), the standard reference format for an image or visual work is:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work [Description of format]. Site Name. URL

Several important principles govern this template:

• Author is the creator of the image: the photographer, artist, or organization. If no individual author is identified, use the organization or website name. If the image truly has no identifiable author, the title moves into the author position.
• Year is the year the image was created or published. If no date is available, use "(n.d.)" for "no date."
• Title is italicized and written in sentence case. If the image has no title, provide a description of the image in square brackets, not italicized: [Photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset].
• [Description of format] appears in square brackets after the title and is not italicized. Common descriptions include [Photograph], [Painting], [Map], [Infographic], [Clip art], [Chart], and [Data visualization]. This bracket notation is what distinguishes image references from other source types.
• Site Name is the name of the website, museum, or platform where the image was found. If the site name is the same as the author, omit it to avoid repetition.
• URL is the direct link to the image or the page where the image is hosted. Do not place a period after a URL.

When you include an image in your paper, APA 7 requires you to present it as a numbered figure with a figure note beneath it. The figure note should include an attribution statement such as "From Title of Work, by A. A. Author, Year, Site Name (URL). Copyright Year by Copyright Holder." The full reference also appears in your reference list. Both the figure note and the reference list entry are required.

---

Worked Examples

Below are eight worked examples covering the most common image citation scenarios. Each example includes both the reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citations.

1. Photograph from an Online Source

A photograph found on a website such as Flickr, Unsplash, or a museum digital collection.

Reference entry:

Rinaldi, M. (2017). Autumn in Central Park [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/example/12345678

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Rinaldi, 2017)
• Narrative: Rinaldi (2017) captured the seasonal transformation of Central Park in a widely shared photograph.

Figure note: From Autumn in Central Park, by M. Rinaldi, 2017, Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/example/12345678). CC BY 2.0.

2. Artwork or Painting

When citing a painting or other artwork from a museum collection, the museum serves as the site name.

Reference entry:

Wood, G. (1930). American Gothic [Painting]. Art Institute of Chicago. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/6565/american-gothic

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Wood, 1930)
• Narrative: Wood (1930) depicted a farmer and his daughter standing before a house with a distinctive Gothic window.

Note that the Art Institute of Chicago is the site name because the museum hosts the digital image. If you viewed the painting in person, you can still use the museum's online record URL or omit the URL and list only the museum name.

3. Stock Photo or Clip Art

Stock photos and clip art often have corporate or anonymous authorship. Use the photographer or artist name if available; otherwise, use the stock agency as the author.

Reference entry:

Vasquez, E. (2020). Team brainstorming in modern office [Photograph]. Shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/example-123456

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Vasquez, 2020)
• Narrative: Vasquez (2020) illustrated a collaborative work environment in a stock photograph used across corporate publications.

If the photographer is unknown, use the stock agency in the author position and omit the site name to avoid repetition: Shutterstock. (2020). Team brainstorming in modern office [Photograph]. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/example-123456

4. Map

Maps from services such as Google Maps, government agencies, or atlases follow the same image template. Use the organization as the author when no individual creator is named.

Reference entry:

U.S. Geological Survey. (2019). Topographic map of Yellowstone National Park [Map]. https://www.usgs.gov/maps/yellowstone-topo

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (U.S. Geological Survey, 2019)
• Narrative: The U.S. Geological Survey (2019) published an updated topographic map showing recent geothermal changes in the park.

Because the U.S. Geological Survey is both the author and the publisher of the map on its own site, the site name is omitted.

5. Infographic from a Website

Infographics are visual summaries of data or processes, often published by organizations and news outlets.

Reference entry:

World Health Organization. (2023). Global vaccination coverage in 2022 [Infographic]. https://www.who.int/data/infographics/vaccination-2022

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (World Health Organization, 2023)
• Narrative: The World Health Organization (2023) illustrated regional disparities in vaccination rates through an infographic summarizing 2022 data.

6. Chart or Graph from a Report

When citing a specific chart, graph, or data visualization from a report, reference the broader report and indicate in your figure note which chart you are reproducing.

Reference entry:

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Employment situation summary [Data visualization]. U.S. Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024)
• Narrative: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) presented monthly employment trends in a series of charts accompanying their summary report.

Figure note: From Employment Situation Summary, by Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024, U.S. Department of Labor (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm). In the public domain.

7. Image from a Book or Journal Article

When an image appears inside a book or journal article, cite the book or article as your source rather than the image in isolation. Note the image's location (figure number or page) in the figure note.

Reference entry:

Goodwin, C. J. (2015). A history of modern psychology (5th ed.). Wiley.

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Goodwin, 2015)
• Narrative: Goodwin (2015) included a photograph of Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory in his overview of psychology's origins.

Figure note: From A History of Modern Psychology (p. 47), by C. J. Goodwin, 2015, Wiley. Copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

In this case, the reference list entry follows the standard book format (Section 10.2), not the image format, because the image is part of a larger published work.

8. Your Own Photo or Image

If you took the photograph or created the image yourself, you generally do not need a reference list entry. Label the figure in your paper and note in the figure note that it is your own work.

Figure note: Photograph taken by the author at Glacier National Park, August 2024.

No reference list entry is needed. However, if the photograph has been published elsewhere (for example, on your professional website), you may choose to cite it formally:

Chen, R. (2024). Trail to Hidden Lake overlook [Photograph]. https://www.example.com/photos/hidden-lake

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Chen, 2024)
• Narrative: Chen (2024) documented trail conditions during a late-summer hike.

---

Special Cases

Creative Commons Licensed Images

Images released under Creative Commons (CC) licenses still require proper citation. Follow the standard APA template for the reference list entry and include the specific license type in the figure note (e.g., "CC BY 4.0," "CC BY-NC 2.0"). Creative Commons licenses do not exempt you from citation requirements; they only grant permission to reuse the work under certain conditions.

Images with No Author

When no individual or organizational author can be identified, move the title of the image into the author position, followed by the date. In the reference list entry, do not italicize the title when it appears in the author position. In-text, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks for parenthetical citations: ("Shortened Title," Year).

Images from Social Media

If you are citing an image posted on social media (Instagram, X/Twitter, Facebook), follow the social media reference format from Section 10.15 rather than the image format. Include the author's name (or username), the date of the post, the first 20 words of the caption as the title, the platform name in square brackets, and the URL of the post.

Reproduced vs. Adapted Images

APA distinguishes between reproducing an image exactly as it appeared in the original source and adapting an image by modifying it. In the figure note, use "From" when reproducing and "Adapted from" when you have altered the image. This distinction is important because adapted works may fall under different copyright rules.

Permission Requirements

APA requires you to obtain written permission to reproduce or adapt images that are not in the public domain or released under an open license. Even if you cite the source correctly, reproducing a copyrighted image without permission may constitute infringement. Check the copyright status of any image you plan to include in your paper, and note the permission in your figure note (e.g., "Reprinted with permission").

---

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Omitting the [format] description. The square-bracketed description after the title (e.g., [Photograph], [Map], [Infographic]) is a required element for image references in APA 7. Without it, the reader cannot tell at a glance what type of source the reference describes. Always include a brief, accurate descriptor.

Leaving out the figure note. Many students include the image in their reference list but forget to add a figure note beneath the figure in the paper itself. APA 7 requires both: a numbered figure label, a descriptive title, and an attribution note below the image. The figure note is where you provide the "From" or "Adapted from" statement with the source details.

Confusing image citation with figure formatting. APA has specific rules for how figures should look in a paper (figure number in bold, title in italics on the next line, image, then the note). Citation rules determine what goes in the reference list and figure note, while figure formatting rules determine how the figure appears on the page. Both must be followed, and they are addressed in different sections of the manual (Chapter 7 for figures, Chapter 10 for references).

Not checking copyright and permissions. Citing an image correctly does not automatically grant you the right to reproduce it. For published or copyrighted images, you may need written permission from the copyright holder. Failure to secure permission can result in a requirement to remove the image from your paper. Always check the license or copyright status before including an image.

Using Google Images as the source. Google Images is a search engine, not the source of the image. When you find an image through Google Images, click through to the original website and cite that original source. The reference entry should list the creator and the website where the image is actually hosted, not Google.

---

Quick-Reference Table

The following table summarizes the key image citation variations at a glance:

---