How to Cite an Image in APA 7th Edition

Images, photographs, and artwork are increasingly important in academic papers, and APA 7th edition provides specific formatting guidelines for these visual sources. Whether you’re citing fine art, photographs, infographics, or charts, this comprehensive guide covers all image citation scenarios.

Basic Image Citation Format

The standard APA 7th edition format for citing an image includes:

Creator(s). (Year). *Image title* [Image type]. Source/Collection. URL or DOI

Example:

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *Climate change impacts on coral reefs* [Photograph].
National Geographic. https://www.natgeo.com/climate-reefs-2023

Step-by-Step Image Citation Instructions

Step 1: Identify the Creator

This could be a photographer, artist, illustrator, or organization that created the image.

Individual Creator:

Thompson, L. K.

Organization:

National Geographic
Smithsonian Institution
NASA

Unknown Creator: Start with the image title or collection name instead.

Step 2: Include the Year

Place the year of creation or publication in parentheses. If unknown, use (n.d.).

Examples:

(2023)
(2022)
(n.d.)

Step 3: Write the Image Title

Italicize the image title and use sentence case. Capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.

Example: Climate change impacts on coral reefs

Step 4: Specify the Image Type

Include the type of image in brackets.

Common Types:

[Photograph]
[Artwork]
[Infographic]
[Chart]
[Map]
[Illustration]
[Diagram]
[Drawing]
[Painting]
[Sculpture (digitized)]
[Cartoon]

Step 5: Identify the Source or Collection

Include where the image is from or held.

Examples:

National Geographic
Smithsonian Institution
Getty Images
Wikimedia Commons
University of Michigan Library

Step 6: Include URL or DOI

For online images, include a complete, functional URL or DOI.

Examples:

https://www.natgeo.com/climate-reefs-2023
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Example.jpg

Complete Citation Examples

Photograph from Organization Website

National Geographic. (2023). *Arctic wildlife in changing climate* [Photograph].
National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/arctic-wildlife

Fine Art from Museum

Monet, C. (1890). *Water lilies* [Painting]. Musée Marmotan Monet, Paris.

Artwork from Online Collection

Picasso, P. (1937). *Guernica* [Painting]. Museo Reina Sofía. Retrieved from
https://www.museoreinasofia.es/guernica

Infographic from Website

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *How the immune system works* [Infographic].
Health Education Institute. https://www.healthed.org/immune-system-infographic

Photograph from Stock Photo Website

Chen, L. (2023). *Urban landscape at sunset* [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/urban-sunset

Historical Photograph from Archive

Smith, J. A. (1968). *Civil rights march photograph* [Photograph]. Library of Congress,
American Memory Collection. https://loc.gov/collections/civil-rights

Chart or Diagram from Educational Website

Khan Academy. (2023). *Photosynthesis process diagram* [Diagram]. Khan Academy.
https://www.khanacademy.org/photosynthesis-diagram

Map from Government Source

U.S. Geological Survey. (2023). *Earthquake risk zones in California* [Map].
U.S. Department of the Interior. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map

Screenshot or Digital Image

Anderson, R. J. (2023). *Sample user interface screenshot* [Screenshot]. Digital image.
Retrieved from https://www.example.com/interface

In-Text Citation Examples

When citing an image in your paper, use the creator’s last name and year. Images should be referenced in the text and include a figure caption.

Text Reference:

As shown in Figure 1, climate change has significantly impacted Arctic ecosystems
(National Geographic, 2023).

Figure Caption (beneath image):

Figure 1
Climate change impacts on Arctic wildlife. Photograph by National Geographic (2023).
Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/arctic-wildlife

Direct Reference:

The infographic demonstrates how the immune system responds to pathogens (Anderson, 2023).

Special Image Citation Scenarios

Image with Artist and Title

Banksy. (2006). *Girl with balloon* [Stencil artwork]. Street art, London.
Retrieved from https://www.banksy.co.uk

Image from Licensed Collection (Stock Photos)

Williams, T. P. (2023). *Businessman in office setting* [Photograph]. Shutterstock.
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo-456789

Image Edited or Modified

If you significantly edit or modify an image:

Smith, J. A. (1968). *Original civil rights photograph* [Photograph]. Modified by
[Your Name]. Library of Congress.

Add “[Modified by [Your Name]]” after the image type.

Unlabeled or Anonymous Image

Unknown creator. (n.d.). *Historical photograph of technology* [Photograph].
University Archives. Retrieved from https://archives.university.edu/image-12345

Image from Social Media

NASA. (2023, March 15). *New Mars rover discovery* [Photograph]. Instagram.
Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/nasa/p/abc123def456

Public Domain Image

Adams, A. (1927). *Mount Williamson, the Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California*
[Photograph]. Public domain. Library of Congress. Retrieved from
https://loc.gov/pictures/item/2018645093

Infographic from PDF Report

Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). *Climate action steps for individuals*
[Infographic]. In *Climate Action Guide* (p. 12). Retrieved from https://epa.gov/climate-guide

Different Types of Images

Scientific or Medical Illustration

Wilson, S. R. (2023). *DNA double helix structure* [Medical illustration].
Scientific Illustration Archive. https://www.sci-illustration.org/dna-helix

Archaeological or Historical Image

British Museum. (2020). *Ancient Egyptian artifact documentation* [Photograph].
British Museum Collection. https://www.britishmuseum.org/artifacts

Contemporary Artwork

Hockney, D. (2022). *Landscape with trees and water* [Digital painting].
Gagosian Gallery. https://www.gagosian.com/exhibitions/hockney

Sports Photography

Associated Press. (2023, March 18). *Championship game winning moment* [Photograph].
Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/photo-123456789

Fashion Photography

Vogue. (2023, March). *High fashion runway show* [Photograph]. By photographers
Smith & Anderson. Condé Nast. https://www.vogue.com/fashion-show-2023

Architectural Drawing or Blueprint

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. (1936). *Fallingwater architectural design*
[Architectural drawing]. Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Retrieved from
https://www.flwright.org/fallingwater

Image Permissions and Copyright Considerations

When Using Images

• Always cite images you don’t create yourself
• Check copyright restrictions on image use
• Use Creative Commons images when available (with proper attribution)
• Request permission if using copyrighted images beyond fair use
• Add copyright notice if required by the image owner

Creative Commons Images

For Creative Commons licensed images, include the license type:

Thompson, L. K. (2023). *Urban garden design* [Photograph]. Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved from https://creativecommons.org/photos/urban-garden

Figure Captions in Academic Papers

Format for figure captions in your paper:

Figure 1
[Brief description of the image.] [Creator name/source] ([year]). [Image title].
Retrieved from [URL]

Example:

Figure 2
Arctic wildlife in changing climate. Photograph by National Geographic (2023).
Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/arctic-wildlife

Include the figure caption below the image in your paper, with a full citation in the reference list.

Common Image Citation Errors

• Not including creator information - Always identify the image creator if available
• Forgetting to italicize the image title - Titles should be italicized
• Missing image type designation - Always specify [Photograph], [Artwork], etc.
• Not including URL for online images - Provide complete links to digital sources
• Incorrect date or missing date - Include publication/creation year
• Not citing images at all - All images must be cited unless originally created
• Inconsistent formatting - Use the same structure for all image citations
• Missing source information - Always identify where the image is from
• Improper figure captions - Include both a caption under the image and a reference list entry
• Forgetting to alphabetize - Reference list entries should be alphabetically ordered

Using GenText to Generate Image Citations

Creating properly formatted image citations requires managing creator information, image titles, image types, sources, and URLs. GenText’s citation generator automates this process. Input the creator name, image title, image type, source, year, and URL, and GenText generates a complete, accurately formatted citation.

Visit /tools/citation-generator/apa/ to generate image citations in seconds.

Verification Checklist

Before including an image citation in your paper, verify:

• ✓ Creator or source is correctly identified
• ✓ Image title is italicized and uses sentence case
• ✓ Image type is specified in brackets
• ✓ Publication/creation year is included
• ✓ Source or collection is named
• ✓ URL or DOI is complete and functional (for online images)
• ✓ Figure caption appears below the image in your paper
• ✓ Complete citation appears in reference list
• ✓ Reference list entry is alphabetically ordered
• ✓ Proper copyright/permissions obtained for image use

Related Guides

• Complete APA 7th Edition Citation Guide
• How to Cite a Website in APA 7th Edition
• How to Cite Social Media in APA
• APA Reference List Format

Images enhance academic papers with visual information and clarity. By properly citing images using APA 7th edition guidelines, you respect creators’ work, maintain academic integrity, and help readers locate source materials.