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Images - Finding & Using

This guide provides information on how to find and use images for research and educational purposes.

How to Cite

You should provide sources for images that you use in a paper, presentation, or other venue, just as you would cite authors of works that you have quoted. This means providing specific information about the site where you found the image.

If you find an image using a Google Images search, remember that Google isn't the original source of the image -- it is the site that did the searching. In your citations, provide the specific address of the website on which the image was located, not the Google results page.

In-Text Citations and Captions

Check with your instructor to see if they have specific preferences for your in-text citations. Generally, you should label each image with "Figure" or "Fig." followed by a number, and then provide as much of the following information as possible. When you discuss the image in the text of your paper, write "(see Fig. 1)" when you refer to the work.

For all images:

Artist’s name [first name then last], title [italicized], date. Medium and support, measurements.

Example: Guido Reni, Joseph and Potiphar's Wife, c. 1630. Oil on canvas, 128.9 x 170 cm.

For an image of a museum object:

Artist’s name [first name then last], title [italicized], date. Medium and support, measurements, repository, and city.

Example: Elizabeth Peyton, Princess Kurt, 1995. Oil on linen, 14 x 11.75 in., Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.

For an image from an online source:

Artist’s name [first name then last], title [italicized], date. Medium and support, measurements. Website or database [if applicable] (access date) [if applicable].

Example: Glenn Ligon, Warm Broad Glow, 2005. Neon and paint, 24 x 190 in. http://www.belkin.ubc.ca/past/GlennLigonSomeChanges/ (accessed April 22, 2009.

Here is an example of how to cite an image with a Creative Commons (CC) license:

Title: Mermaid Cove Sunrise

Creator: Jerry Meadon

Source: Flikr https://bit.ly/2GMYajl

Copyright Information: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

APA

APA Style Guides Online

Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and the APA Style Guide to Electronic References for more detailed information.

For images from a book, journal or other print publication:

Bibliography Reni, Guido (Artist). ( c. 1619-20). Bacchus and Ariadne [Painting]. Losa Angeles; Los Angeles County Museum of Art. From Henning, A. & Schaefer, S. (2008) Captured Emotions: Baroque Painting in Bologna, 1575-1725. edited by Andreas Henning and Scott Schaefer Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2008) 61.

For images from a website:

Bibliography Mannix, Paul. (Photographer). (2007). Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana, USA [Photograph].  Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmannix/1526620540. 

For images from a database:

Bibliography

Adelman, Bob. (Photographer).  (1965). USA. 1965. Portrait of Martin Luther King [Image of photograph].  ARTstor. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from http://www.artstor.org.  

Chicago/Turabian

The Chicago Manual of Style provides two distinct citation styles: Humanities style (notes and bibliography) and Scientific/Social Sciences styles (parenthetical author/date references and reference list). Be sure to check with your instructor regarding which style they prefer that you use. Chicago style is sometimes called Turabian style, which is a modified version.

Chicago/Turabian Style Guides Online

Consult A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations for more detailed information.

For images from a book, journal or other print publication:

Note 1. Guido Reni, Bacchus and Ariadne, c. 1619-20, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Captured Emotions: Baroque Painting in Bologna, 1575-1725, edited by Andreas Henning and Scott Schaefer (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2008) 61.
Bibliography Reni, Guido. Bacchus and Ariadne. c. 1619-20. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Captured Emotions: Baroque Painting in Bologna, 1575-1725. Edited by Andreas Henning and Scott Schaefer. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2008. 61.

For images from a website:

Note 1. Paul Mannix, Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana, USA, 2007,  22 April 2009 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmannix/1526620540/>.
Bibliography Mannix, Paul. Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana, USA. 2007.  Accessed 22 April 2009. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmannix/1526620540/>.

For images from a database:

Note 1. Bob Adelman, 1965. USA. 1965. Portrait of Martin Luther King. [database on-line] (ARTStor, accessed 22 April 2009); available http://www.artstor.org, image ID NYC21672.jpg.
Bibliography

Adelman, Bob,1965. USA. 1965. Portrait of Martin Luther King.  Database on-line. ARTstor. http://www.artstor.org. Accessed 22 April 2009.

MLA

MLA Style Guides Online

Consult the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing for more detailed information.

For images from a book, journal or other print publication:

Note 1. Guido Reni, Bacchus and Ariadne, c. 1619-20, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Captured Emotions: Baroque Painting in Bologna, 1575-1725, edited by Andreas Henning and Scott Schaefer (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2008) 61.
Bibliography Reni, Guido. Bacchus and Ariadne. c. 1619-20. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Captured Emotions: Baroque Painting in Bologna, 1575-1725. Edited by Andreas Henning and Scott Schaefer. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2008. 61.

For images from a website:

Note 1. Paul Mannix, Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana, USA, 2007, 22 April 2009 <http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmannix/1526620540/>.
Bibliography Mannix, Paul. Honey Island Swamp, Louisiana, USA. 2007. Accessed 22 April 2009.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmannix/1526620540/>.

For images from a database:

Note 1. Bob Adelman, USA. 1965. Portrait of Martin Luther King, 1965. 22 Apr. 2009 <http://www.artstor.org>.
Bibliography

Adelman, Bob. USA. 1965. Portrait of Martin Luther King. 1965. ARTstor. 22 Apr. 2009 <http://www.artstor.org>.