How to Cite an Image in APA (7th Edition)

If you’re using an image in a paper (or just referring to one), APA 7 has a clear pattern: author, year, title + description, format, and source (site or museum).

Quick Scoop

For most images you find online, your reference will usually look like this: **Author. (Year). Title [Format]. Site Name. URL.**

Think of it like telling a friend exactly what image you used, who made it, when they made it, what kind of image it is, and where they can go to see it.

Basic APA Image Formula

Reference list format (online image)

General format (online photo, artwork, etc.):

Lastname, A. A. (Year). Title of image [Format]. Site Name. URL
[3][1][5]

Example (photo on a site like Flickr):

Thompson, M. (2020). Canyon wren [Photograph]. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/2icfzq4
[5]

In‑text citation for that same image:

  • Parenthetical: (Thompson, 2020)
  • Narrative: Thompson (2020)

Key Parts You Need

APA 7 expects you to include as many of these as you can find:
  • Creator (artist/photographer) – last name + initials.
  • Year of creation – or “n.d.” if no date.
  • Title of the image – in sentence case and italics.
  • Format/medium in brackets – e.g., [Photograph], [Painting], [Digital art], [Infographic], [Map].
  • Source – site or museum name.
  • URL – if you accessed it online (no URL if you saw it in person in a museum).

If it’s an image from a museum or gallery , add museum name and location; URL only if you saw it online.

Special Situations (Very Common)

1\. Untitled image

If the image has no title, describe it in square brackets in place of the title:
Ryan, L. (2019). [Photograph of a child reading under a tree] [Photograph]. Author website. https://example.com/child-reading
In‑text: (Ryan, 2019)

2\. Image from a museum or gallery

Use the creator, year, title, format, museum name, location, and URL (if online).
Klimt, G. (1909). The kiss [Painting]. Belvedere, Vienna, Austria. https://sammlung.belvedere.at/objects/6678/der-kuss-liebespaar
[1] In‑text: (Klimt, 1909)

If you saw it in person , you can omit the URL and just include museum and location.

3\. Clip art or stock images

For stock photos (Getty, Adobe Stock, etc.), treat them like other online images but follow the licensing and credit rules:
Denali National Park and Preserve. (2013). Denali National Park landscape [Photograph]. Getty Images. URL
[7] You still use a normal in‑text citation: (Denali National Park and Preserve, 2013).

4\. AI‑generated images

Some library guides recommend treating AI images like figures with a note in the caption, crediting the tool and prompt.

Example of a figure note under an AI image:

Note. Image generated using the prompt “Create a comic‑style colour illustration of the Vancouver, British Columbia skyline, with Science World prominently featured,” by OpenAI, DALL‑E 3, 2024 (https://openai.com/index/dall-e-3/).
[6]

When You Reproduce the Image in Your Paper

If you **insert** the image into your document (not just mention it), APA treats it as a **figure**.

Above the image:

  1. Figure number in bold, left aligned:
    • Figure 1
  2. Title in italics on the next line (sentence case).

Below the image, you add a caption that can include:

  • A brief descriptive caption.
  • Source information (often starting with “From …”) and URL if online.
  • Copyright statement or note if required, sometimes including “Reprinted with permission.”

Some guides recommend starting with “Note.” in italics for the caption if you’re adding more explanation or attributions.

You also still include a full reference list entry for the image, just like other sources.

HTML Table: Quick Patterns for APA Image Citations

[5][1] [5] [5] [3][1] [1] [1] [8][4][3] [3] [8][7] [7] [7] [9][2][10][5][1] [10][1] [5]
Scenario Reference list format Example In- text citation
Online photograph on a site Lastname, A. A. (Year). Title of image [Photograph]. Site Name. URL Thompson, M. (2020). Canyon wren [Photograph]. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/2icfzq4 (Thompson, 2020) or Thompson (2020)
Artwork from a museum (online) Lastname, A. A. (Year). Title of work [Painting]. Museum Name, City, Country. URL Klimt, G. (1909). The kiss [Painting]. Belvedere, Vienna, Austria. https://sammlung.belvedere.at/objects/6678/der-kuss-liebespaar (Klimt, 1909)
Untitled online image Lastname, A. A. (Year). [Description of image] [Format]. Site Name. URL Ryan, L. (2019). [Photograph of a child reading under a tree] [Photograph]. Author website. https://example.com/child- reading (Ryan, 2019)
Clip art / stock photo Author/Corporate author. (Year). Title or description [Format]. Site Name. URL Denali National Park and Preserve. (2013). Denali National Park landscape [Photograph]. Getty Images. URL (Denali National Park and Preserve, 2013)
Figure reproduced in paper Normal reference entry for the image + figure caption with note and source under the image Figure caption might start with “Note. Descriptive caption. From …” and end with copyright info and URL Same as source image, e.g., (Thompson, 2020)

Quick TL;DR

  • Use Author, year, title in italics, format in brackets, source, URL for most images.
  • If there’s no title , describe the image in square brackets.
  • For museum art , add museum and location; URL only if seen online.
  • If you insert the image into your work, treat it as a figure with a figure number, title, caption, and copyright note if needed, plus a normal reference entry.

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