How To Cite An Image In APA | 7th Ed Steps And Notes

You find a photo, chart, map, screenshot, or piece of art, and then you hit the same snag: what does APA want me to write? Image citations feel odd because APA treats most visuals as “figures,” and figures have their own labels, titles, and notes.

This walkthrough keeps it simple. You’ll learn what details to collect, how to build the reference list entry, when to add a figure note, and how to avoid the common traps that make a citation look off.

What Counts As An Image In APA

In APA 7th edition, most visuals that aren’t tables count as figures. That includes photographs, drawings, icons, maps, infographics, charts, screenshots, and artwork. If the reader needs to see it, treat it like a figure.

You’ll handle images in one of two ways: place the image in your paper as a figure, or mention the image without inserting it. That choice controls where the citation goes.

Where Image Citations Go In A Paper

APA image citations usually have two parts: a reference list entry that tells readers where the image came from, and an in-text cue that points to it when you talk about it. If you insert the image, you also add a figure number, a title, and sometimes a note under the figure.

Situation	What You Add In The Paper	What You Add In The Reference List
You created the photo or graphic	Figure number + italic title; note only if you want extra context	No reference entry
You reused an online image and placed it as a figure	Figure number + italic title + note with “From” or “Adapted from”	Yes, cite the source page
You described an image but did not insert it	In-text citation near the sentence that refers to it	Yes, reference entry for the image/source
Stock image marked “no attribution required”	Figure number + italic title	No reference entry
Stock image that requires attribution	Figure number + italic title + note with license/copyright line	Yes, clip art/stock image reference entry
Creative Commons image	Figure number + italic title + note naming the license	Yes, reference entry for the image page
Chart copied from a report and inserted as a figure	Figure number + italic title + note pointing to the report	Yes, cite the report
Figure redrawn or edited from a source	Figure number + italic title + note starting with “Adapted from”	Yes, cite the original source
No date listed on the page	Same setup as your situation	Use (n.d.) in the date spot

How To Cite An Image In APA

Here’s a repeatable process. Use it each time you cite a visual, and your formatting stays steady from paper to paper.

Step 1 Collect The Source Details

Open the page where you found the image and grab these items. If you collect them once, you won’t keep bouncing back to the source later.

• Creator (person, group, or organization)
• Date (year, or year-month-day if shown)
• Title (or a short description if untitled)
• Format label, like [Photograph], [Map], or [Screenshot]
• Where you found it (site name, museum, book, report)
• URL to the page that hosts the image
• Reuse terms (license name, attribution rules, copyright line)

Step 2 Choose “Figure In The Paper” Or “Mention Only”

If the reader needs the visual, place it in the paper as a figure. You’ll add a figure number, an italic title, and a note if reuse terms call for it.

If you only refer to the image as a source of information, cite it like other sources: an in-text citation plus a reference list entry, with no figure formatting in the body.

If you keep a copy of your best templates, how to cite an image in apa becomes a quick formatting task, not a time sink.

Step 3 Build The Reference List Entry

Most image references use the same skeleton: Author. (Date). Title [Format]. Source. URL. Your “Source” element changes based on where the image lives.

No title on the page? Put a brief description in square brackets in the title spot, then keep the bracketed format label after it. Write it so a reader can picture what you used, like [Photograph of street market at night].

Reference Templates

• Online image: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of image [Photograph]. Site Name. URL
• Untitled online image: Author, A. A. (Year). [Description of image] [Photograph]. Site Name. URL
• Artwork viewed online: Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of work [Painting]. Museum Name, City, Country. URL

Step 4 Add The In-Text Citation Or The Figure Caption

When you mention the image in a sentence, use author-date format, like (Author, Year). If the author is an organization, use the organization name.

If you inserted the image, you still point to it in your writing by number, like “see Figure 1.” The caption stays with the figure, not inside the paragraph.

Figure Caption Parts

APA figure setup uses a steady order: figure number, title, then the visual, then a note if needed. The official APA Style figure setup page shows the structure.

• Figure number: “Figure 1” in bold
• Title: italic, Title Case, on the next line
• Note: placed under the figure when you need a source credit or license line

Step 5 Write A Figure Note When Reuse Terms Require It

If you copied the image as-is, start the note with “From.” If you changed it, start with “Adapted from.” That wording tells readers whether the visual was reproduced or modified.

Stock images are a special case because licenses vary. The APA Style clip art or stock images references examples show when APA lets you skip citations and when you need both a reference entry and a note.

Figure Note Templates

• Reused without changes:Note. From “Title of work,” by A. A. Author, Year, Site Name (URL). Copyright Year by Copyright Holder.
• Adapted:Note. Adapted from “Title of work,” by A. A. Author, Year, Site Name (URL). Copyright Year by Copyright Holder.
• Creative Commons:Note. From “Title of work,” by A. A. Author, Year, Site Name (URL), CC BY 4.0.

If the license clearly says no attribution is needed, APA does not require a reference entry or a figure note. You still label the figure so the reader can follow your layout.

Citing An Image In APA Style For Common Sources

Now match the citation pieces to the places you actually find images. The goal stays the same: creator, date, title or description, format, and a source a reader can retrace.

Images On Regular Web Pages

Use the image credit line as your author when it’s available. If the page lists an article author but the image credit names someone else, cite the person credited for the image. If there’s no credit, the website or organization can act as the author.

Social Media Image Posts

When the image is part of a post, you’re usually citing the post. Use the account name as author, the post date, a short description in the title spot, the platform name, and the URL to the post. If you insert the image as a figure, add a note that points back to the post.

Screenshots

If you captured the screenshot yourself, it’s your own image file. Many instructors still want you to cite the site or software you captured, so check your class rules. When you do cite it, treat the site or software as the author and use a bracketed description.

Artwork Pages From Museums

Use the artist as author, then the year of creation. Add the museum name and location as the source. If you accessed the work online, add the museum page URL so a reader can find the exact record you used.

Reports And Data Visuals

If you copied a chart or map from a report and inserted it, cite the report as the source and add a figure note. If you built your own chart from published data, cite the data source in text and keep your chart as your own figure.

Common Mistakes That Break APA Image Citations

Most problems come from missing pieces, not fancy rules. Fix these, and your citations will look clean and consistent.

Bare URLs With No Creator Or Date

A URL alone is not enough. Track down a person, group, or organization name and a date. If there’s no date, use (n.d.).

No Bracketed Format Label

APA uses bracketed format labels to show what the work is. Add [Photograph], [Map], [Screenshot], or a similar label that fits the image you used.

No Figure Note For Reused Work

If you reproduced or adapted an image and placed it in your paper, a reference entry alone may not satisfy reuse terms. Add a note under the figure when the license or copyright statement calls for attribution.

“From” Vs “Adapted From” Used The Wrong Way

Use “From” when you copied the figure as-is. Use “Adapted from” when you changed it. Keep that wording consistent with what you actually did.

Figure Label With No Mention In The Text

If you label something Figure 2, refer to it in your writing. A figure that’s never mentioned looks like a random decoration.

What You’re Citing	Reference Title Spot	Bracketed Format
Untitled website photo	[Short description of the photo]	[Photograph]
Chart copied from a report	Title of report (cite the report)	[Report]
Museum artwork page	Title of work	[Painting] or [Photograph]
Stock image with attribution	Title of image or [Description]	[Photograph]
Screenshot you captured	[Screenshot description]	[Screenshot]
Social media post with an image	[Description of the post]	[Photograph] or [Image]
AI image output (if required by class rules)	[Description of the generated image]	[AI-generated image]

Final Checklist Before You Submit

Do a fast scan before you turn in your work. This checklist catches the parts that tend to go missing.

• Creator is listed as a person or organization
• Date is present, or (n.d.) is used
• Title is italicized, or a bracketed description is used when untitled
• Bracketed format label matches the work
• Source name is listed when needed (site, museum, report, or book)
• URL points to the image page, not a generic homepage
• Figure number and italic title are present when the image is inserted
• Figure note is added when reuse terms call for attribution
• In-text mentions match the author and date in the reference list

Still stuck on a weird edge case? Start by writing the reference entry from the source page, then decide whether the visual belongs as a figure. That two-step move solves most citation stress.

If you wonder later, how to cite an image in apa uses the same building blocks each time.