To cite an image, identify its creator, title or description, date and the place where you viewed it. Then apply the citation style your assignment requires. If you reproduce the image, also check the caption, credit and reuse conditions. A reference tells readers where the image came from; it does not by itself establish permission to publish a copy.
The first useful decision is what you are citing: an artwork, a photograph, a figure from a paper or the page containing an illustration. Keep that decision separate from the file extension. A JPEG of a painting is still a representation of an artwork, and a screenshot of a chart does not make the screenshot creator the author of the research.
Find the image’s source before formatting
Open the page hosting the image rather than citing a search results thumbnail. Follow its credit to the artist, photographer, museum, archive or original publication. The MLA image guide distinguishes an image viewed in person, online and in a printed work, because the location information changes with the version you used.
Record these details while the source is open:
| Detail | What to record | A mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | The credited artist, photographer or responsible organization | Treating the search engine as the creator |
| Title | The supplied title, or an accurate description when untitled | Inventing a formal title from the filename |
| Date | The creation or publication date relevant to that work | Using your download date as its creation date |
| Location | Museum, collection, website or publication | Linking only to a general image search |
| Version | Figure number, page, adaptation or edited version | Citing a different version from the one discussed |
| Reuse terms | The stated license or permission information | Assuming a visible image is free to republish |
Save the landing page alongside the downloaded file. A filename alone rarely preserves the information you will need a week later.
Cite an image in APA
For museum artwork, APA’s artwork reference guidance puts the artist in the author position and includes a description of the medium after the title. Museum name and location identify the collection; add the museum’s work page when available.
Use this structure for a museum work. The braces below are fields to replace with details from the source, not a reference to an actual artwork.
{Artist surname}, {Initials}. ({Year}). {Title} [{Medium}]. {Museum}, {City, region, country}. {URL}Italicize the artwork title in the final formatted entry. In your sentence, use the artist and year, such as the pattern ({Artist surname}, {Year}). An untitled work needs an accurate bracketed description in place of an invented title.
A photograph on an ordinary website may need a different source element from museum artwork. A figure reproduced from a journal article also needs the article’s publication information. Choose the template for the actual work rather than forcing every visual into the museum pattern. The APA citation guide covers the general author and date system.
Cite an image in MLA
MLA asks you to identify the image and the container in which you encountered it. For an image viewed online, the website and its URL help a reader find the same object. For a reproduction in a book, use the book’s publication details and the relevant page.
{Creator surname}, {First name}. {Image Title}. {Year}. {Website or collection}, {URL}.Italicize the title of a standalone artwork and the container where appropriate. If the image is untitled, supply a description rather than formatting your description as a title. When your discussion concerns a numbered figure in a scholarly article, name the figure and cite that article so readers can follow both the visual and its surrounding argument.
Use the appropriate Chicago system
Chicago has both notes and bibliography and author and date systems. Check which your course or publisher requires before building the entry. The Chicago citation quick guide explains the choice between them.
For a visual analysis, keep the artist, work title, date, medium and collection together in your notes. Add the website or printed source through which you viewed the reproduction. Use the exact caption and documentation requirements of your department or publisher, especially when supplying images for publication. Citation and figure credit can serve different roles in the finished document.
For a visual source note, the Monash University Chicago 18 image guide provides an artwork pattern. Include the details that apply to the object and version you used:
{Note number}. {Artist full name}, {Artwork Title}, {Year}, {medium}, {dimensions}, {Collection}, {Location}, {accession number if relevant}, {URL}.Italicize the artwork title in the final note. A figure reproduced from a book or article instead needs the publication’s reference information and its figure or page locator.
Credit a reproduced or adapted figure
If you include an image in your paper, write a caption that identifies what the reader is seeing. Record whether you reproduced it unchanged or adapted it. Keep the credit with the figure so it remains visible when the figure is discussed or moved during editing.
Check the actual reuse terms at the source. Creative Commons explains its license choices, which differ in their conditions. Do not replace a required credit with a bare URL or assume that citing an image answers every reuse question. If the terms are unclear, choose material with clear conditions or consult the appropriate rights holder or institutional adviser.
Review the image and reference together
Before submission, open each image’s source from your reference list. Confirm that the creator, title and version match the visual in the paper. Check figure numbers after rearranging the draft, and make sure the text points to the correct figure.
You can keep the source record beside your writing in Citation and consult the MLA guide or APA guide for reference conventions. Review the result against the original source, then inspect the exported document. A well formatted entry is useful only when it identifies the image you actually used.
Frequently asked questions
Methodology and sources
References linked in this article include MLA image guide, APA’s artwork reference guidance, APA guide, Chicago citation quick guide, Monash University Chicago 18 image guide, Creative Commons explains its license choices and MLA guide. Each link leads to the original page so you can review its wording, scope and limitations.
Publication and update dates describe changes to this article. They do not change the dates or coverage of the underlying source material. Read each finding with its original context, and keep gaps in the available information separate from conclusions supported by the records.
Citation’s methodology explains how source lookup, citation formatting and writing checks work, including their limitations. Our editorial standards describe the principles behind clear explanations, source attribution and useful guidance for readers.
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