Image Citation Generator
Cite a photograph, chart, infographic or any other picture you found online. Enter the creator, title, year, format and the site that hosts it, and get the reference and in-text citation in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 10,834 other styles. Free, no sign-up.
How to Use the Image Citation Generator
- 1. Enter the creator and the title. The creator is the photographer or the designer, not the website. If the image has no title, describe it in a few words.
- 2. Fill in the year and the source. Put the website, agency or stock library that hosts the image in Publisher / Site, and paste the page's URL, not the address of the picture file.
- 3. Name the format. Type Photograph, Chart, Infographic or Map in Format / medium. APA prints it in square brackets after the title.
- 4. Pick a style, check and copy. Choose APA, MLA, Chicago or any of the 10,834 styles, check the line against the page, and use Edit to correct it.
Image Citation Examples
Apollo 8's "Earthrise" photograph, taken by William Anders in 1968, on Wikimedia Commons.
APA 7th edition
Reference list:
Anders, W. (1968). Earthrise [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg
In-text (parenthetical):
(Anders, 1968)
In-text (narrative):
Anders (1968)
MLA 9th edition
Works Cited:
Anders, William. Earthrise. 1968. Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg.
In-text citation:
(Anders)
Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)
Footnote:
William Anders, Earthrise, 1968, photograph, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg.
Bibliography:
Anders, William. Earthrise. 1968. Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg.
The generator prints the format as you type it, so it comes out right in APA's brackets; in MLA and Chicago, where the format is optional or belongs elsewhere in the entry, move or delete it as the examples show.
What to Cite for a Picture
| Element | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Surname, initials | Surname, First name | Surname, First name; First name Surname in a note |
| Title | Italic, with [Photograph] after it | Italic when the image stands alone | Italic |
| No title | A bracketed description | A plain description | A plain description |
| Where | Site name, then URL | Site name in italics, then URL | Site name, then URL |
| No creator | Start with the title | Start with the title | Start with the title |
The creator may be an organization, such as a government agency or a news service, and you then use its name in place of a person's. If the page names only a stock library or a social media account, use that. Never cite the address of the picture file; link to the page that shows the image and its credit.
Citing Is Not Permission
A citation credits the creator; it does not give you the right to reuse the image. If you reproduce a picture in your own paper, publication or website, you may need the creator's permission or a licence (such as Creative Commons), and APA, MLA and Chicago ask for a credit line or a caption in addition to the reference. Check the licence on the source page, and use the Figure Citation Generator for a figure you reproduce.
Common Mistakes
- Citing the site as the author. The photographer or designer is the author. The site is where you found the work.
- Citing the file address. An address ending in .jpg or .png is not the page a reader can verify.
- Leaving the format out in APA. The bracketed label tells the reader whether it is a photo, a chart or a map.
- Using the upload date. If the creation date is on the page, use that; otherwise use the date of publication on the site.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| You have | Use |
|---|---|
| A photograph, chart, infographic or other online picture | This page |
| A painting or sculpture in a museum | Artwork Citation Generator |
| A figure or table you reproduce in your own work | Figure Citation Generator |
| An image made by an AI tool | AI Image Citation Generator |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite an image in APA 7?
- Give the creator, the year, the title in italics with the format in brackets, the website and the URL: Anders, W. (1968). Earthrise [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg. In text: (Anders, 1968).
- How do I cite an image in MLA 9?
- Creator, title in italics, year, the website in italics and the URL without https://: Anders, William. Earthrise. 1968. Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NASA-Apollo8-Dec24-Earthrise.jpg. In text: (Anders).
- How do I cite an image with no author or no title?
- With no author, begin with the title. With no title, give a short description in its place: in square brackets in APA, in plain text in MLA and Chicago. If there is no date, write n.d. in APA and leave the date out in MLA and Chicago.
- How do I cite a chart or infographic?
- Like any other image, with the organization that made it as the creator and Chart or Infographic as the format. If the numbers come from a dataset or report, cite that source too.
- Do I need to cite a stock photo or a Creative Commons image?
- Yes. Cite the creator and the site, and follow the licence for any credit line it asks for. A free licence does not remove the need to credit, and a public-domain image is still cited.
- Which citation styles does the image generator support?
- APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18 are at the top of the list, and you can choose any of the 10,834 styles. Switching style reformats the same details.
Related Tools
How to cite a Image or Photograph in each style
Format rules, templates, and worked examples for the styles most often required.
- How to Cite a Image or Photograph in APA (7th edition)
- How to Cite a Image or Photograph in MLA (9th edition)
- How to Cite a Image or Photograph in Chicago (18th edition)
- How to Cite a Image or Photograph in Harvard (Cite Them Right)
- How to Cite an Image, Photograph, or Artwork in APA 7
- How to Cite a Painting, Photograph, or Artwork in MLA