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:
If you are including a figure you found in another source within an assignment:
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There usually two categories of images used on web page sources:
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. |
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?
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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:
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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]
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Part 3 - Reference the web page as you would normally:
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Not reproducing the figure?Follow the standard in-text citation and reference list entry to reference the web page. |
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. |
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?
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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:
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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]
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Part 3 - Reference the image on the web page: Formatting examples are provided on the next tab for how to do this.
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Not reproducing the figure?Follow the standard in-text citation and reference list entry to reference the creator and year.. |
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. |
General Notes: |
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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. 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. 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. |
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
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.
Adding images to PowerPoint slides? Refer to the tab on the main Images page. |
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.
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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].
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For PowerPoints - provide a hyperlinked statement: Image via [Site Name, hyperlinked].
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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:
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. |