reference pictures essay

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Locating and Using Images for Presentations and Coursework

• How to Cite Images
• Alt Text Image Descriptions
• AI & Images

Copyright, Public Domain, and Fair Use

• Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States from Cornell University Library
• Copyright Overview from Purdue University
• Fair Use Chart from the Visual Communication Guy
• ALA Fair Use Evaluator
• Creative Commons Licenses

Attribution

Attribution : the act of attributing something, giving credit (as of literature or art) to a particular author or artist. When you have given proper attribution, it means you have given the information necessary for people to know who the creator of the work is.

The majority of images you find are under copyright and cannot be used without permission from the creator. There are exceptions with Fair Use, but this Libguide is intended to help you locate images you can use with attribution.

***Please read about public domain . These images aren't under copyright, but it's still good practice to include attribution if the information is available.

Citation General Guidelines

Include as much of the information below when citing images in a paper and formal presentations. Apply the appropriate citation style (see below for APA, MLA examples).

• Image creator's name (artist, photographer, etc.)
• Title of the image
• Date the image (or work represented by the image) was created
• Date the image was posted online
• Date of access (the date you accessed the online image)
• Institution (gallery, museum) where the image is located/owned (if applicable)
• Website and/or Database name

Citing Images in MLA, APA, Chicago, and IEEE

• Directions for citing in MLA, APA, and Chicago MLA: Citing images in-text, incorporating images into the text of your paper, works cited APA 6th ed.: Citing images in-text and reference list Chicago 17th ed.: Citing images footnotes and endnotes and bibliography from Simon Fraser University
• How to Cite Images Using IEEE from the SAIT Reg Erhardt Library
• Image, Photograph, or Related Artwork (IEEE) from the Rochester Institute of Technology Library

Citing Images in Your PPT

Currently, citing images in PPT is a bit of the Wild West. If details aren't provided by an instructor, there are a number of ways to cite. What's most important is that if the image is not a free stock image, you give credit to the author for the work. Here are some options:

1. Some sites, such as Creative Commons and Wikimedia, include the citation information with the image. Use that citation when available. Copy the citation and add under the image. For example, an image of a lake from Creative Commons has this citation next to it:  "lake"  by  barnyz  is licensed under  CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 .

2. Include a marker, such as Image 1. or Figure 1., and in the reference section, include full citation information with the corresponding number

3. Include a complete citation (whatever the required format, such as APA) below the image

4. Below the image, include the link to the online image location

5. Hyperlink the title of the image with the online image location

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Picture or Image in APA

How to Cite a Picture or Image in APA

Referencing visual media in your research paper, thesis, or dissertation can be an engaging and effective way to support your argument. Photographs, paintings, infographics, and maps are only a few examples of the many types of visual content that can be included.

In this guide, you will learn how to create accurate APA citations for digital images, infographics, maps, and even artwork from museums. The information from this guide comes from the 7th edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Chapter 10, Section 10.14).

Looking to cite a different type of media, like an audio recording or a radio interview? EasyBib.com has citing tools that can help! There are also other guides on these different media types, like how to cite a movie in APA and how to cite a YouTube video in APA .

Guides Overview

Here is an overview of everything this page includes:

• Citing vs. ‘Reproducing’

Citing a digital image or photograph

Citing an image from a museum or a museum website, citing an infographic, citing a map, citing a map from google maps, citing powerpoint slides, citing lecture notes, citing clip art or a stock image.

• What you need

Citing vs. ‘reproducing’

This guide provides information on how to cite images and photographs. However, reproducing the image inside of your essay or research paper might require additional permissions and/or attributions. Section 12.15 of the Publication Manual provides more information on reproducing images and graphics.

Creating an APA 7 citation for a digital image is easy. In the following example, we are going to show you how to cite a digital image found online.

Note: In the above example, the photograph is not presented with a title. For untitled photographs, a description of the photo is included inside of square brackets in the place of the title. 

The following citation structure can be used for all types of museum artwork, including paintings, photographs, drawings, and even sculptures.

Note: If you accessed an image through a museum’s website or online collection, then include the URL at the end of the reference entry.

According to APA 7, infographics are treated identically to any other type of image or photograph. Infographics tend to include all the necessary reference information within the image itself, usually in the bottom corner.

Dynamically created maps like those generated by Google Maps do not have titles, so  the map must be cited with a clear description in brackets, as well as a retrieval date ( Publication manual , p.347).

Note: Some Google Maps links can get unnecessarily long. Link shortener services like Bitly and Ow.ly allow users to create shortened links that will make your references list cleaner and easier to look at. 

Note: Include the learning management system name and URL when you are writing for an audience that does not have 

Note: No citation is necessary for clip art from Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint ( Publication manual , p. 346)

Here’s a quick video overview of how to cite an image or picture in APA:

What You Need

The guidelines for citing visual works are detailed in section 10.14 of the APA handbook and include a number of different images and source types. In every case, the following information is required:

• Name of author, artist, or photographer
• Date of publication or creation
• Title of work
• A bracketed description of media type (e.g., [Photograph] or [Painting])
• Publisher, production company, or museum name
• Location of publisher (if it is from a museum or university)
• URL if accessed online

For most images sourced online, the above information is easily accessible and usually provided alongside the image.

For digital images, using Google’s reverse image search is an effective way to determine the creator and creation date of a particular image.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Cambridge University Press. (1912). Historical map of the religious divisions of Germany c. 1610 [Map]. Emerson Kent. https://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/germany_1610.htm

Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving from Auckland to Wellington, New Zealand]. Retrieved June 13, 2020 from https://bit.ly/37wTTvx

Lutz, E. (2014). An animated chart of 42 North American butterflies [Infographic]. Tabletop Whale. https://tabletopwhale.com/2014/08/27/42-butterflies-of-north-america.html

Monet, C. (c. 1900) Waterloo bridge [Painting]. Denver Art Museum, Colorado, United States.

Stone, M. (2020). [Picture of fireflies at night in Congaree National Park] [Photograph]. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/06/synchronous-fireflies-rare-look-congaree-national-park/#/fireflies-congaree-1994.jpg

Published 20, 2012. Updated June 23, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau . Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib. You can find her here on Twitter. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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You will need the name of the image creator, the image title or an image description, the year of publication, the name of the publisher or website, and the URL (if it’s online). Here are two examples:

MLA : Johnson, Herbert. Critical Moments . 1921. Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/resource/acd.2a09222/.

APA : Johnson, H. (1921). Critical moments [Photograph]. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/acd.2a09222/

See this guide for more information on citing an image in APA .

To cite an image in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the name of the photographer or artist, title of the image, publisher/museum/gallery, and/or URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for in-text citations and reference list entries of an image along with examples are given below:

In-text citation template and examples:

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Watkins (1867)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Watkins, 1867)

Reference list entry template and example:

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the image [Medium]. Name of the Museum, location of museum. URL

Watkins, C. E. (1867). View on the Columbia, cascades [Photograph]. The Met, New York, NY, United States. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/262612

You need to set the title of the image in italics and sentence case. The medium of the image should be set inside square brackets after the title. Do not give a period after the URL.

To cite an image with no author in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the title of the image, publication year, publisher/museum/gallery, and/or URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for in-text citations and reference list entries of an image along with examples are given below:

If the work does not have an author, cite the source by its title or a shortened version using the first word or two. For example, a parenthetical citation might look like this:

( Title of the Image , publication year)

( Parliament, Vienna, Austro-Hungary , ca. 1890)

Title of the image . (Publication Year). [Medium]. Name of museum/gallery, location. URL

Parliament, Vienna, Austro-Hungary. (ca. 1890). [Photograph]. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., United States. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002708394/

You need to set the title of the image in italics and sentence case. The medium of the image should be set inside square brackets after the date. Do not give a period after the URL.

APA Citation Examples

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Image: freepik.com

When writing research articles and papers, the use of visual elements like images, diagrams, and tables can significantly enhance the presentation of data and arguments. However, you have to properly cite these elements to maintain academic integrity and respect copyright laws. This article guides you through the general rules and specific scenarios for citing images, with a focus on Harvard referencing, and explains how to list these references effectively.

Citing Images in Academic Works – General Rules

When you incorporate an image, table, or diagram into your academic work, it’s essential to provide a citation that includes the author, date, title, and source of the image. The purpose of citing images is to acknowledge the original creator and to allow your readers to trace the source material. This process typically involves two components: an in-text citation and a corresponding entry in the list of references.

For the list of references, the full citation of an image should include:

• the author’s name,
• the year of publication,
• the title of the image,
• and the internet address or publication where the image was found.

If the image is untitled, a brief description can be used in place of a title.

Citing and Referencing Specific Types of Images

Online/Digital Images . When citing an online image or diagram, the citation should include the author (if known), the date of creation (or the date it was accessed) for the in-text citation, and the title, and the internet address for full reference. The Harvard referencing system requires these details in both the in-text citation and the list of references.

In-Text Citation Example : “The cartoon by Frith (1968) humorously illustrates the political climate of the time, highlighting…” .

Reference Example: Frith J 1968, From the rich man’s table, political cartoon by John Frith, Old Parliament House, Canberra, accessed 11 May 2007, http://www.oph.gov.au/frith/theherald-01.html.

Online Images/Diagrams Used as Figures . Online images used as figures in your work should be properly numbered and include a figure caption. The figure caption typically consists of the figure number, a brief description, and an in-text citation.

For example: Figure 1: A diagram of the solar system (Smith, 2020).

Citing a Photograph or Image from a Museum or Institution (Viewed Online). In the case of citing photographs or images from museums or institutions viewed online, include the name of the artist, the year of creation, the title of the image, the name of the institution, and the internet address where the image was found. This type of citation recognizes both the creator of the work and the institution that houses it.

In-Text Citation Example: “The picture (Van Gogh) evokes a deep sens of..”

Example Reference: Van Gogh, Vincent. Starry Night. 1889. The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/collection/works/79802.

Properly Citing a Photograph You Took. If you are citing a photograph that you took, the citation should include your name, the year the photo was taken, a title or descriptive caption, and a note indicating that it is your own work. For instance, in the Harvard referencing style, it would be: (Your Name, 2024, View of the Grand Canyon, author’s collection).

In-Text Citation Example: “The landscape’s stark beauty is captured in the photograph (Doe),” if the photograph was taken by a student named Jane Doe.”

Reference List Citation Example: Smith, Jade. Playing dogs. 21 Aug. 20010. Author’s personal collection.

The Differences of Citing Images in APA, MLA, and Chicago

Citing images in academic writing is an important practice for acknowledging sources and respecting copyright. The citation style varies depending on the format (APA, MLA, Chicago) and where the image was accessed (online, in-person). Here are general rules and unique examples for each style:

Online Images:

• General APA Format : Author Last Name, Initials. (Year). Image title [Format]. Site Name. URL
• Reference Entry Example: Johnson, K. (2022). Sunset Over the Mountains [Photograph]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/sunset-mountains
• In-Text Citation: (Johnson, 2022)

Images Viewed in Person:

• APA Format: Author Last Name, Initials. (Year). Image title [Format]. Institution Name, Location. URL (if applicable)
• APA Reference Entry Example: Monet, C. (1900). Water Lilies [Painting]. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States.
• APA In-Text Citation: (Monet, 1900)
• General MLA Format: Author Last Name, First Name. “Image Title.” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.
• Works Cited Entry Example: Thompson, Alice. “Full Moon Reflection.” Pixabay, 5 Apr. 2022, https://pixabay.com/photos/full-moon-reflection-2022
• In-Text Citation: (Thompson)
• General MLA Format: Author Last Name, First Name. “Image Title.” Year, Institution Name, City.
• Works Cited Entry Example: Van Gogh, Vincent. “Starry Night.” 1889, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
• In-Text Citation: (Van Gogh)

Chicago Style

• Chicago Bibliography Entry Example: Smith, Robert. Morning Dew on Leaves . May 15, 2021. Photograph. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/morning-dew-leaves
• Chicago Footnote: 1. Robert Smith, Morning Dew on Leaves , May 15, 2021, photograph, Flickr, https://flic.kr/p/morning-dew-leaves.
• Chicago Bibliography Entry Example: Degas, Edgar. The Star . 1878. Pastel on paper, 73 x 60 cm. The Louvre, Paris.
• Chicago Footnote: 1. Edgar Degas, The Star , 1878, pastel on paper, 73 x 60 cm, The Louvre, Paris.

When citing images via a free citation machine , it’s important to include all necessary details such as the creator’s name, the title of the image, the year it was created or published, the format (e.g., photograph, painting), and its location or source. If the image is included directly in the text as a figure, a copyright/permissions statement should also be provided. Following these guidelines allows proper attribution and enhances the credibility of your academic work.

Accurately citing images, whether sourced online, from a database or taken personally, is a critical aspect of academic writing.  Now, that you know how to cite an image, you can move on to bigger things and learn how to cite Youtube videos . It upholds academic integrity and shows respect for the original creators of these visual elements. By following these guidelines and using the Harvard referencing system, you can be sure that your use of images, tables, and diagrams adheres to the best practices of academic writing, making your work credible and ethically sound. Remember, a well-cited image not only adds value to your argument but also enhances the overall quality and reliability of your academic work.

Do I need to cite images in academic papers?

Yes, you need to cite images in academic papers. Citing images is crucial for several reasons: it acknowledges the original creator’s work, avoids plagiarism, and provides your readers with a source they can refer to for more information. Whether the image is a photograph, a painting, a diagram, or any other type, proper citation is essential in academic writing.

Is there a difference in citing images from websites and books?

Yes, there is a difference in citing images from websites and books. When citing an image from a website, you typically need to include the author’s name, the date the image was published or accessed, the title of the image, the format (e.g., photograph, digital image), the website name, and the URL. For images in books, the citation should include the author’s name, the date of publication, the title of the image, the format, the title of the book, the publisher, and the page number or location of the image in the book.

How do I cite an image with no author or date?

If an image does not have an author or a specific date, you can still cite it by providing as much information as possible. For an image without an author, start the citation with the title of the image. If the date is unavailable, use ‘n.d.’ (no date) to indicate this. For example, in APA style, it would look like this: Image Title [Format]. (n.d.). Website Name. URL.

Should I include URLs in image citations?

Yes, you should include URLs in image citations for images found online. URLs are important as they allow readers to directly access the source material. However, for images found in print sources or physical locations like museums, URLs are not necessary unless there is a specific webpage for the image.

How to format image citations?

The format of image citations depends on the citation style you are using (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). Generally, the citation should include the author’s name, the year of creation or publication, the title of the image, the format, and where the image was found (website and URL, book title and page number, museum location, etc.). Follow the specific rules of the citation style required for your academic work, including how to format in-text citations and the reference list or bibliography entries.

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Images Research Guide: Citing Images

How to cite images.

There are many ways to cite images. Most important is to include all relevant information so others can locate, understand and evaluate any images you use.

Academic Styles of Citing Images:

APA Style (7th Edition)

MLA Style (9th Edition)

Non-Academic Style:

Image Credits

Reference List

General Format:

Creator, C. (Year of Production or publication). Title of work [Description, Medium, or other relevant information]. Source. Retrieval information or location of work.

Image Found on the Web Euloth, G. (2012). Sleepy Kitty, Purr, Purr, Purr [Photograph]. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/bD838X

Image from a Database Sharkstar, A.J. (2014). Two Cats Bound Together By A Snake [Sticker]. A rtstor . https://library.artstor.org/public/SS7730635_7730635_12095826 

Image from a Book O’Keeffe, G. (1923). Alligator Pears in a Basket [Charcoal drawing]. In Sayre, H.M., Writing about art (6 th ed., pp. 39). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009.

Image from a Museum or Archive Website Lawrence, J. (1977). The Studio [Painting]. Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA, United States. https://art.seattleartmuseum.org/objects/10605/the-studio

Image in a Museum Mirra, H. (2016). Standard Incomparable [Textile]. Pasadena, CA: Armory Center for the Arts.

In-text Citations

(Creator Last Name, Year)

If there is no creator, use (Title, Year)

(Amero, 1951)

Figure Captions

Figure 1. Author, A. A. (Year). Title of material . [Description of material]. Retrieved from http://www.xxxx

Figure 1. Amero, E. (1951). Fiesta. [Print]. Retrieved from Artstor.

Image Credits (Non-Academic Style)

A credit statement can be an alternative to a full academic citation, and especially useful when writing for the Web. Provide a link to the image if you can.

Title by Creator, date (if available), via source (Creative Common License Type, if applicable).

Sleep Kitty, Purr, Purr, Purr by Glenn Euloth, 2012, via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Open Attribution Builder:

If you are using an openly licensed image, try generating an image credit with the Open Attribution Builder .

Why Cite Images?

There are many important reasons to cite images you use:

• Give credit to the creator of the image.
• Provide information so others can find and reuse the image
• Participate in ongoing scholarly conversations about images

MLA Style (Ninth Edition, 2021)

Works Cited List

Previously, researchers made citations by following the MLA’s instructions for the source’s publication format (book, DVD, Web page, etc.). Now, there is one standard, universal format that researchers can use to create their citations:

Author. Title of source. Title of container, Other contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication date, Location.

Note: Containers are the elements that “hold” the source. For example, if a photo is posted on Flickr, Flickr is the container. Sometimes a source is nested inside of two separate containers, like an image found in a book read on an ebook platform like Ebook Library (EBL). Both the title of the source and its container (or multiple containers) are included in a citation.

Image Found on the Web Euloth, Glenn. Sleepy Kitty, Purr, Purr, Purr. 2012. Flickr , flic.kr/p/bD838X .

Image from a Database Amero, Emilio. Fiesta . 1951. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Artstor , https://library.artstor.org/#/asset/external/8D5Jcj0oMloyLyw%2Ffzx%2FRHsp

Image from a Book O’Keeffe, Georgia. Alligator Pears in a Basket . 1923. Writing about Art by Henry M. Sayre, 6 th ed., Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009, pp. 39.

Image from a Museum or Archive Website Lawrence, Jacob. The Studio . 1977. Seattle Art Museum, Seattle. Seattle Art Museum, www1.seattleartmuseum.org/eMuseum/code/emuseum.asp?style=browse&currentrecord=1&page=search&profile=objects&searchdesc=90.27&quicksearch=90.27&newvalues=1&newstyle=single&newcurrentrecord=1.

Image in a Museum Mirra, Helen. Standard Incomparable . 2016, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA.

In-text citations

(Creator Last Name, Page Number)

If there is no creator, use (“Title", Page Number)

For images found online, do not list a page number.

Fig 1. Ann Author, Title of Work , Museum and/or Publication information.

Fig 1. Emilio Amero, Fiesta , National Gallery of Art, 1951, Washington, D.C.

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Finding and referencing images: Referencing images

• Referencing images
• Finding images and videos

Introduction

In this guide, ' IMAGE ' is used to refer to any visual resource such as a diagram, graph, illustration, design, photograph, or video. They may be found in books, journals, reports, web pages, online video, DVDs and other kinds of media. This guide also refers to ‘ CREATOR ’. This could be an illustrator, photographer, author or organisation.

The examples are presented in Harvard (Bath) style and offer general guidelines on good practice. For essays, project reports, dissertations and theses, ask your School or Department which style they want you to use. Different referencing styles require the use of similar information but will be formatted differently. For more information on other referencing styles, visit our referencing guide .

Using images to illustrate or make clear the description and discussion in your text is useful, but it is important that you give due recognition to the work of other people that you present with your own. This will help to show the value of their work to your assignment and how your ideas fit with a wider body of academic knowledge.

It is just as important to properly cite and reference images as it is the journal articles, books and other information sources that you draw upon. If you do not, you could find yourself accused of plagiarism and/or copyright infringement.

Using images and copyright

For educational assignments it is sufficient to cite and reference any image used. If you publish your work in any way , including posting online, then you will need to follow copyright rules. It is your responsibility to find out whether, and in what ways, you are permitted to use an image in your coursework or publications. Please refer to our copyright guidance and ask for further assistance if you are unsure.

Some images are given limited rights for reuse by their creators. This is likely to be accompanied with a requirement to give recognition to their work and may limit the extent to which it can be modified. The ‘Creative Commons’ copyright licensing scheme offers creators a set of tools for telling people how they wish their work to be used. You can find out more about the different kinds of licence, and what they mean, on the organisation’s web pages .

What is a caption?

Any image that you use should be given a figure number  and a brief description of what it is. Permission for use of an image in a published work should be acknowledged in the figure caption. Some organisations will require the permission statement to be given exactly as they specify. If they are required, permissions need to be stated in addition to the citing and referencing guidance given below.

Referencing images in PowerPoint slides

For a presentation you should include a brief citation under the image. Keep a reference list to hand (e.g. hidden slide) for questions. Making a public presentation or posting it online is publishing your work. You must include your references and observe permission and copyright rules.

Example of a caption

Figure 1. Library book. Reproduced with permission from: Rogers, T., 2015, University of Bath Library

Citing and referencing images

Citing images from a book or journal article.

If you wish to refer to images used in a book or journal, they are cited in the same way as text information , for example:

The functions and flow of genetic information within a plant cell can be visualised as a complex system (Campbell et al., 2015, pp. 282-283).

Campbell et al. (2015, pp. 282-283) have clearly illustrated how a plant cell functions.

If you were to include this example in an essay the caption and citation below the image would look similar to this:

Figure 7. The functions and flow of genetic information within a plant cell (Campbell et al., 2015, pp. 282-283).

The reference at the end of the work would be as recommended for a book reference in our general referencing guide .

For a large piece of work such as a dissertation, thesis or report, a list of figures may be required at the front of the work after the contents page. Check with your department for information on specific requirements of your work.

Google images

When referencing an image found via Google you need to make sure that the information included in your reference relates to the original website that your search has found. Click on the image within the results to get to the original website and take your reference information from there. Take care to use credible sources with good quality information.

Citing and referencing images from a web page

If you use an image from a web page, blog or an online photograph gallery you should reference the individual image . Cite the image creator in the caption and year of publication. The creator may be different from the author of the web page or blog. They may be individual people or an organisation. Figure 2 below gives an example of an image with a corporate author:

List the image reference within your references list at the end of your work, using the format:

NASA, 2015.  NASA astronaut Tim Kopra on Dec. 21 spacewalk [Online]. Washington: NASA. Available from: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/nasa-astronaut-tim-kopra-on-dec-21-spacewalk [Accessed 7 January 2015].

Wikipedia images

If you want to reference an image included in a Wikipedia article, double-click on the image to see all the information needed for your reference. This will open a new page containing information such as creator, image title, date and specific URL. The format should be:

Iliff, D., 2006. Royal Crescent in Bath, England - July 2006  [Online] .  San Francisco: Wikimedia Foundation. Available from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Crescent_in_Bath,_England_-_July_2006.jpg [Accessed 7 January 2016].

Images and designs from exhibitions, museums or archives

If you want to reference an image or design that you have found in an exhibition, museum or archive, then you also need to observe copyright rules and reference the image correctly. The format is:

For example, if you want to reference an old black and white photograph from 1965 that is held in an archive at the University of Bath:

Bristol Region Building Record, 1965. Green Park House (since demolished), viewed from southwest [Photograph]. BRBR, D/877/1. Archives & Research Collections, University of Bath Library.

NB if you were to reproduce this archive image in your work, or any part of it (rather than just cite it), you would also need to note ‘© University of Bath Library’. This copyright note should be added to the image caption along with the citation.

Referencing your own images

If you take a photograph, you do not have to reference it. For sake of clarity you may want to add “Image by author” to the caption. If you create an original illustration or a diagram that you have produced from your own idea then you do not have to cite or reference them. If you generate an image from a graphics package, for example a molecular structure from chemistry drawing software, you do not need to cite the source of the image.

Referencing images that you adapt from elsewhere

If you use someone else’s work for an image then you must give them due credit. If you reproduce it by hand or using graphics software it is the same as if you printed, scanned or photocopied it. You must cite and reference the work as described in this guide. If the image is something that you have created in an earlier assignment or publication you need to reference earlier piece of work to avoid self-plagiarism. If you want to annotate information to improve upon, extend or change an existing image you must cite the original work. However, you would use the phrase ‘adapted from’ in your citation and reference the original work in your reference list.

AI generated images

If you have used an AI tool to generate an image you must acknowledge that tool as a source  (see point 7 of the  academic integrity statement ).

If the content is not recoverable i.e. cannot be linked or retrieved, then there is no published source that you can reference directly. In that case you would give an in-text, ‘personal communications’ citation , as described in part 15 of our 'Write a citation' guidance (from the Harvard Bath guide). This type of citation includes the author details followed by (pers. comm.) and the date of the communication.

For example, an image of a shark in a library generated with Craiyon with a ‘personal communications’ citation included in the image caption:

Figure 3. Shark in a library image generated using an AI tool (Craiyon, AI Image Generator (pers. comm.) 14 July 2022).

However, if the content is retrievable,  then you can cite and reference it the same way you would cite and reference an image taken from a web page (see relevant section above). Use the example on the ‘Generative AI content’ section of our Harvard Bath guide to correctly reference retrievable content.

Online images and resources for your work

The library has compiled a list of useful audio-visual resources, including images, that can be used for essays or assignments. Visit the ' finding images and videos ' tab of this guide to find out more.

• Next: Finding images and videos >>
• Last Updated: Nov 1, 2024 11:55 AM
• URL: https://library.bath.ac.uk/images