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:
Non-Academic Style:
7th Edition of the American Psychological Association by
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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.
Examples:
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]. Artstor. 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 (6th 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.
General Format:
(Creator Last Name, Year)
If there is no creator, use (Title, Year)
Example:
(Amero, 1951)
General Format:
Figure 1. Author, A. A. (Year). Title of material. [Description of material]. Retrieved from http://www.xxxx
Example:
Figure 1. Amero, E. (1951). Fiesta. [Print]. Retrieved from Artstor.
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.
General Format:
Title by Creator, date (if available), via source (Creative Common License Type, if applicable).
Example:
Sleep Kitty, Purr, Purr, Purr by Glenn Euloth, 2012, via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
If you are using an openly licensed image, try generating an image credit with the Open Attribution Builder.
There are many important reasons to cite images you use:
MLA Handbook by
Relied on by generations of writers, the MLA Handbookis published by the Modern Language Association and is the only official, authorized book on MLA style. The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements--facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date--that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more. With this focus on source evaluation as the cornerstone of citation, MLA style promotes the skills of information and digital literacy so crucial today. The many new and updated chapters make this edition the comprehensive, go-to resource for writers of research papers, and anyone citing sources, from business writers, technical writers, and freelance writers and editors to student writers and the teachers and librarians working with them. Intended for a variety of classroom contexts--middle school, high school, and college courses in composition, communication, literature, language arts, film, media studies, digital humanities, and related fields--the ninth edition of the MLA Handbookoffers * New chapters on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, numbers, italics, abbreviations, and principles of inclusive language * Guidelines on setting up research papers in MLA format with updated advice on headings, lists, and title pages for group project * Revised, comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for creating a list of works cited in MLA format that are easier to learn and use than ever before * A new appendix with hundreds of example works-cited-list entries by publication format, including websites, YouTubevideos, interviews, and more * Detailed examples of how to find publication information for a variety of sources * Newly revised explanations of in-text citations, including comprehensive advice on how to cite multiple authors of a single work * Detailed guidance on footnotes and endnotes * Instructions on quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and avoiding plagiarism * A sample essay in MLA format * Annotated bibliography examples * Numbered sections throughout for quick navigation * Advanced tips for professional writers and scholars
General Format:
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.
Examples:
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, 6th 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¤trecord=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.
(Creator Last Name, Page Number)
If there is no creator, use (“Title", Page Number)
For images found online, do not list a page number.
(Amero)
General Format:
Fig 1. Ann Author, Title of Work, Museum and/or Publication information.
Example:
Fig 1. Emilio Amero, Fiesta, National Gallery of Art, 1951, Washington, D.C.
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