Skip to Main Content

APA 7th Style:  Images from the web

UON Library guide for the APA 7th referencing style

04 June 2025 - Please note that information on this page has been updated for Semester 2

Additional/updated direction has been provided for some image sources:

  • copyright statements and Creative Commons licences (What is Creative Commons?), and
  • images from the web, including
  • images that don't require attribution.

Figures taken from web sources

 

If you are including a figure you found in another source within an assignment:

  • Copy the figure exactly as found in the original source, unless you need to adapt it.
  • Acknowledge the original source in-text and within a caption included directly underneath the figure.
  • Note that the format of the reference in the caption is different from the usual APA 7th style used for in-text citations.
  • While students don't usually require publisher permission to include figures in assignments, you should include the copyright (or licensing) statement.
  • There are 3 parts to successfully reproducing and referencing a figure in your assignments:
    1. Mention and cite the figure in your text
    2. Provide a description and caption for the figure
    3. Add an entry for the source in your reference list

There usually two categories of images used on web page sources:

  • Images created by the author of the web page
  • Images that have separate creator information provided

 

See the tabs on this page for more information.

 

For images missing certain information (e.g., no title), see the tab Formatting examples for image references to see how you can approach these.

Images created by the author of the web page

 

Where the author of the web page has created all the included content, use the complete web page for the reference list entry and detail the individual image information in the caption under the figure.

For images missing certain information (e.g., no title), see the tab Formatting examples for image references to see how you can approach these.

For the example on this page

The photograph below is taken from a web page where all content (text and images) was created by the same author, 'Interprofessional Education for Quality Use of Medicines'.

Note that the photograph has been shared under a Creative Commons Licence so this information has been used in place of a copyright statement. What is Creative Commons?

For text-based documents, you'll usually need to include 3 parts - an in-text citation, a figure caption, and a reference list entry.

Part 1 - Cite the web page as you would normally and mention the figure in your text:

Figure 1 shows filming undertaken with a patient as part of the production of the second learning module (Interprofessional Education for Quality Use of Medicines, 2016). Based on omission of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis, the module ...

Part 2 - Provide description and captioning of your figure:

[Above the figure]

Figure X  [Bolded, where X is your numbering]

Title of Figure

[Below the figure]

Note. From Title of Web Page, by A. A. Author and B. B. Author, Year (Link). Copyright Year by Copyright Holder Name.

or

Note. From Title of Web Page, by A. A. Author and B. B. Author, Year (Link). Creative Commons Licence.

[In this example we're using the Creative Commons Licence the image was shared under instead of a copyright statement]

Figure 1

Filming of the Second Learning Module

Note. From VTE Production Gallery​, by Interprofessional Education for Quality Use of Medicines, 2016 (http://www.ipeforqum.com.au/photos/vte-production). CC BY-SA 2.5 AU.

Part 3 - Reference the web page as you would normally:

Interprofessional Education for Quality Use of Medicines. (2016). VTE production gallery. http://www.ipeforqum.com.au/photos/vte-production 

Adapting or changing the figure?

 In the caption under the figure change the wording 'From' to 'Adapted from' to show that you have changed the original (even in a small way). Using the example above, if we had changed something in the figure, we would change the caption to:

Note. Adapted from VTE Production Gallery​, by Interprofessional Education for Quality Use of Medicines, 2016 (http://www.ipeforqum.com.au/photos/vte-production). CC BY-SA 2.5 AU | Cropped from original.

Where Creative Commons licences are involved (and allow adaptation), you should include a statement at the end that explains how you have change the material. Short and simple is OK here, it's more to show that the material has been changed.

The in-text citation and reference list entry would stay the same.

Not reproducing the figure?

Follow the standard in-text citation and reference list entry to reference the web page.

Reproduction note: 

The figure above, reprinted from IPEforQUM.com.au​, has been reproduced under a Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 2.5 Australia License. This notice is separate from the figure so as not to confuse the referencing in the figure caption.

Images created by another creator

 

Where the web page includes images created by others, it's the images that need to be referenced - not the full web pages.

For images missing certain information (e.g., no title), see the tab Formatting examples for image references to see how you can approach these.

For the example on this page

The photograph below is taken from a web page where the page was created by one author (here it would be 'Flickr'), but the images are identified as being from someone else (in this case 'fs-phil'). So the photograph below has separate creator information listed so the photograph is referenced, not the full web page. 

Note that the photograph has been shared under a Creative Commons Licence so this information has been used in place of a copyright statement. What is Creative Commons?

For text-based documents, you'll usually need to include 3 parts - an in-text citation, a figure caption, and a reference list entry.

Part 1 - Cite the creator and year, and mention the figure in your text:

Figure 1 shows the relative size of a baby bat (fs-phil, 2009). Although small, baby bats are still capable of transmitting rabies ...

Part 2 - Provide description and captioning of your figure:

[Above the figure]

Figure X  [Bolded, where X is your numbering]

Title of Figure

[Below the figure]

Note. From Title of Work, by A. A. Creator, Year (Link). Copyright Year by Copyright Holder Name.

or

Note. From Title of Work, by A. A. Creator, Year (Link). Creative Commons Licence.

[In this example we're including the Creative Commons Licence the image was shared under instead of a copyright statement]

Figure 1

Relative Size of Baby Bat to a Human Hand

Note. From Little Bat, by fs-phill, 2009 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/31855019@N05/3885417778). CC BY-SA 2.0.

Part 3 - Reference the image on the web page:

Formatting examples are provided on the next tab for how to do this.

fs-phil. (2009). Little bat [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/31855019@N05/3885417778

Adapting or changing the figure?

 In the caption under the figure change the wording 'From' to 'Adapted from' to show that you have changed the original (even in a small way). Using the example above, if we had changed something in the figure, we would change the caption to:

Note. Adapted from Little Bat, by fs-phil, 2009 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/31855019@N05/3885417778). CC BY-SA 2.0| Cropped from the original.

Where Creative Commons licences are involved (and allow adaptation), you should include a statement at the end that explains how you have change the material. Short and simple is OK here, it's more to show that the material has been changed.

The in-text citation and reference list entry would stay the same.

Not reproducing the figure?

Follow the standard in-text citation and reference list entry to reference the creator and year..

Reproduction note: 

The figure above, reprinted from Flicker​, has been reproduced under an unspecified Creative Commons ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License. This notice is separate from the figure so as not to confuse the referencing in the figure caption.

Formatting for image references

 

General Notes:
  • Where a title is provided for the image use that, in italics.
  • Where no title is provided, you will need to create a 'Descriptive title' for the image in square brackets, e.g. [Photograph of a baby koala], [Sculpture of the Greek goddess Artemis].
  • The name of the hosting site is required to be added before the access link.  This is a major revision for APA 7.
  • The words 'Retrieved from' are no longer required before an access link for images.  This is a major revision for APA 7.
  • Do not include a full-stop after the URL at the end of the reference.
  • APA allows for links to be either plain text or 'active'. See the official APA Style Blog for more information.
Titled image with a creator noted

Creator Surname, Initial. (Year). Title of work [Description]. Title of Website. https://www... 
Untitled image with a creator noted

Creator Surname, Initial. (Year). [Descriptive title for the work]. Title of Website. https://www... 
Image without a date Follow the above patterns but replace (Year) with (n.d.).  See the examples below.
Titled image with no creator noted

Option 1: Move the Title and Description to the front of the reference to replace the Author field.
Title of work [Description]. (Year). Title of Website. https://www... 

Option 2: Assume that the creator is the same person who created the web page content. See the 'Same creator as web page' tab in this box.
Untitled image with no creator noted

Option 1: Create a Descriptive title for the image and move it to the front of the reference to replace the Author field.
[Descriptive title for the work]. (Year). Title of Website. https://www... 

Option 2: Assume that the creator is the same person who created the web page content. See the 'Same creator as web page' tab in this box, plus add a descriptive title for the image in square brackets.

 

Reference list examples:

Greater Moscow League of Young Mums. (2014). [Photograph of mothers breastfeeding their children]. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/features/2014/russia-breastfeeding/en/

 Leahy, S. (2015). Snouts in the trough [Cartoon]. Leahy: Cartoons from the Courier Mail. http://www.beyondtheblackstump.com/leahy/view_comic.cfm?comic_id=2806 

Marks, D. (n.d.). [Photograph of mother koala and baby]. Australian Koala Foundation. https://www.savethekoala.com/about-koalas/furry-photos 

Michelangelo. (ca. 1500). David [Sculpture]. Accademia.org. http://www.accademia.org/explore-museum/artworks/michelangelos-david/ 

Orc army [Painting]. (n.d.). The Lord of the Rings Wiki. https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Orcs 

[Photograph of a mixed group of seated nurses]. (n.d.). Nurses Now. https://nursesnow.com.au/news/different-nurse-types/ 

University of Durham. (2014). Excavations at the Binchester site [Photograph]. History. http://www.history.com/news/roman-ruins-in-britain-hailed-as-pompeii-of-the-north 

Van Gogh, V. (1888). Sunflowers [Painting]. The National Gallery. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/vincent-van-gogh-sunflowers 

 

In-text

Every time you paraphrase, or use an idea from another source you must include an in-text citation to that source.
Follow the general pattern for the type of author.

Example:

To mention to image in your text, follow the standard pattern:

Leahy's (2015) cartoon parodies MP's expenses.

If you are reproducing the image in your assignment, see the previous tab on this page for how to do this.

Creating a PowerPoint?

 

Adding images to PowerPoint slides?  Refer to the tab on the main Images page.

Using stock images that don't require attribution?

 

There are a number of sites that provide free stock images for use that don't require attribution, such as Pixabay, Unsplash, etc. (see our Free resources page for more). You will need to check the licensing terms for the site to confirm that no attribution is required.

APA has released guidance suggesting that referencing is generally not required for these kinds of images. 

In terms of assessments where course coordinators request/require attribution for all resources used, students can include a simple statement to show where these images were taken from, for example:

Image via Pixabay.

Image via Unsplash.

Image via Canva.

While attribution usually isn't required for these resources, the stock image sites often appreciate acknowledgement of their site as a source. Hyperlinking the statement to the image page is also encouraged. Use the home/main page link if you can't access an individual link for the image (e.g., with Canva).

Including this statement will help to show course coordinators and markers that you have used the image appropriately/ethically in your assessment (and you haven't 'forgotten' to reference).

Note that in-text citations and reference list entries are not required where images don't require attribution.

For essays, reports, etc. - provide description and captioning of your figure:

[Above the figure]

Figure X  [Bolded, where X is your numbering]

Title of Figure

[Below the figure]

Note. Image via [Site Name, hyperlinked].

Figure 1

Typical Operating Room in a Hospital

Image of operating room

Note. Image via Pixabay.

For PowerPoints - provide a hyperlinked statement:

Image via [Site Name, hyperlinked].

PowerPoint screen with image

The screenshot above shows a full-screen image with the hyperlinked statement in a text box. The text box can be positioned wherever suits the image. Note that you may need to change the colour of the text to ensure readability.
 

If not using the image as full-screen, you can also add the statement under the image, similar to the caption formatting above.

Having trouble referencing an image?

 

Some images on the web are difficult to reference due to a lack of information or the source involved.

Where you are on a website and the image is missing information needed to reference it, try the Formatting examples for image references tab. It shows how you can approach referencing images that don't have a title, date, or creator details provided.

If you're considering taking images from social media or shopping sites, etc., it may be better to look elsewhere. Images from these sites can be harder to reference as the included images can come from anywhere and often information for the image is missing. Useful approaches are:

  • For social media, depending what's required, you might like to try referencing the social media post itself - see our Web resources page.
  • For shopping/etc. sites where you're wanting product images, it's usually worth trying the website of the producer, publisher or distributor.

Another option is to use Google Reverse Image Search to see if you can find the same image on another site that is easier to reference. The video below shows how you can use the image search function on your phone and computer.

Looking to reference a meme? Know your meme is a great site to reference meme images from and, as a bonus, it includes the history of the meme. As an example, see the page for 'Distracted boyfriend'.

Don't make referencing images any harder on yourself than you need to.

Still having issues? A librarian may be able to provide assistance. Book a Librarian to seek help.

Help and Information

Subjects: Referencing