An image can include a photograph, table, diagram, infographic, etc.
When referring to an image (but NOT adding a copy of the image into your assignment)
Use the in-text citation when you are citing (referring to) the image in the body of your work and add a reference list entry for your reference list at the end.
Reproducing (copying) an image in your assignment
When reproducing (copying) an image in your assignment you must also include an attribution in the form of locators and a caption.
Locators & Captions
Locators are used to identify images, tables or graphs that are included in the body of your assignment. Examples of locators are:
You may use a mixture of locator types within the one assessment. For example, you may find that you use both Figure and Graph as locators in a single essay. Each are numbered separately. If you have 2 figures and 1 graph, your locators would be Figure 1, Figure 2 and Graph 1.
The Caption includes the following elements: Description, Source & Licence information.
Description = Includes the title and format. If there is no title for the image include a description in brackets [description] instead, such as [man wearing hat].
Source = Creator/Author & date.
License = i.e. creative commons CC BY-SA 2.0; or Copyright year by author; or CC0 1.0 (for public domain) as some examples.
Note: For more information about attributing creative commons licensing material go to the Smartcopying website.
Best practice is that the caption is placed under the relevant image/table, etc.
However if you are creating a poster that includes images from other sources, you can put the caption information as well as the reference list entry information in small print at the bottom or side margin of your poster.
For a slide presentation, put the caption under the image or at the bottom of the slide the image is on. Add a final slide with reference list entries.
Example of Locator and Caption
Table 1: Example cancer patient data set (Je65917 2022), CC BY-SA 4.0
In-text citation
According to Table 1 (Je65917 2022), it is clear the suspect gene is present in more patients than anticipated.
Reference List
Rule: Author A or Creator Full Name (Year) Title or description of work [medium], Webpage, Name of Website website, accessed Date Month Year, URL.
Je65917 (2022) Example cancer patient data set [table], File:Example Cancer Patient Data Set.png, Wikimedia Commons website, accessed 10 December 2024, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Example_Cancer_Patient_Data_Set.png.
Finding an image author
If you can't find who created an image on a site like Pinterest, try doing a reverse image search to see other pages where an image has been published. This may give you more information. This page demonstrates how to do a reverse image search.
If you can’t locate the image creator, use the image title/description as the first element in your reference list.
See examples listed below by source type: web sites, books or journals.
Please remember the following when using an image in your assessment:
Caption format (source website/webpage)
Rule: Locator x: Title or Description (Image Author Surname Year:page), Licence.
Flickr website (not all images are covered by Creative Commons licence, check for each image used from this site)
Image 1: Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea (Kavanagh 2023), CC BY 2.0.
Creative Commons website (Pexels, Pixabay & Unsplash)
Image 2: Black framed eyeglasses (Street 2018), used under Upsplash licence.
Other web sites
Image 3: Sorting through our space junk (Palmer and McCarthy 2015), Copyright World Science Festival.
Database
Image 4: Neutral colour (Ross 2020), WGSN image, used under licence.
Note: check each databases license to ensure you comply with their requirements.
Public Domain
Image 5: Bookworm penguin (Moini 2013), CC0 1.0.
In-text citation
Image 1 of the Curlew sandpiper (Kavanagh 2023) is an example of …
Image 2 of a dog reading (Street 2018) is an example of a creative commons image available ...
According to Image 3 (Palmer and McCarthy 2015) the weight of all the space junk around earth is equal to 1000 African elephants.
Ross's photograph Colour neutral shows that in Hyeres Festival 2019 a lot of neutral colours were used (2020, Image 4).
Note: If you are inserting an image in your assignment but not referring to it in-text you don't need to add an in-text citation.
Reference List
Rule = Author A or Creator Full Name (Year) Title or description of work [medium], Webpage, Name of Website website, accessed Date Month Year, URL.
Kavanagh P (2023) Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea [photograph], Flickr website, accessed 20 November 2024, https://flic.kr/p/2oaoF7j.
Monini (2013) Bookworm penguin [image], Bookworm penguin, Openclipart website, accessed 20 October 2024, https://openclipart.org/detail/174860/bookworm-penguin.
Rossman J and Palmer R (2015) Sorting through our space junk [infographic]. Sorting through our space junk, World Science Festival website, accessed 20 October 2024, https://www.worldsciencefestival.com/2015/11/space-junk-infographic.
Street J (2018) Black framed eyeglasses [photograph], Unsplash website, accessed 20 October 2024, https://unsplash.com/photos/black-framed-eyeglasses-MoDcnVRN5JU.
WGSN (Worth Global Style Network) (2020) Colour neutrals Hyeres Festival 2019 [photograph], Women apparel, WGSN website, accessed 20 October 2020, https://www-wgsn-com.tafeqld.idm.oclc.org/content/board_viewer/#/83586/page/7.
Please remember the following when using an image in your assessment:
Caption format (source Microsoft & Adobe)
Rule = Locator x: Title or Description (Author Surname Year:page), Licence.
Adobe stock
Image 1: Beagle head isolated on white (Isselee n.d.), https://stock.adobe.com/au used with permission.
Note: if the Adobe stock image is AI generated then add the format [Gen AI Image] after the title.
Microsoft stock (Note: only available via web O365 version)
Image 2: Untitled photograph of daisy flowers (Microsoft Office 365 n.d.), Microsoft Stock Image, used under licence.
Microsoft screenshot
Figure 1: Screenshot of word classic ribbon (Microsoft Office 365 n.d.), Microsoft Word. Used with permission from Microsoft.
Microsoft Standard terms of use allow for screenshots of Microsoft products to be taken for education. There are limitations to what can be done:
In-text citation
The flowers in Image 2 (Microsoft Office 365, n.d.-b) are a member of the Asteraceae family.
Note: If you are just inserting an image in your assignment but not referring to it in text you don't need to add an in-text citation, i.e. Image 1 & Figure 1.
Reference List
Rule = Author A or Creator Full Name (Year) Title or description of work [medium], Webpage, Name of Website website, accessed Date Month Year, URL.
Note: If there is no title, use a description in square brackets.
Microsoft Office 365 (n.d.-a) [Screenshot of word classic ribbon] [screenshot], Microsoft Office 365 website, accessed 19 November 2024, https://www.microsoft365.com/.
Microsoft Office 365 (n.d.-b) [Daisy flowers] [photograph], Microsoft Office 365 website, accessed 19 November 2024, https://www.microsoft365.com/.
Isselee E (n.d.) Headshot of puppy Beagles dog, isolated [photograph]. Head shot of puppy Beagles dog, isolated, Adobe Stock website. https://stock.adobe.com/au/images/head-shot-of-puppy-beagles-dog-isolated/426071150?prev_url=detail.
Please remember the following when using an image in your assessment:
Caption format (source book or ebook)
Rule = Locator x: Title or Description (Author Surname Year:page), Licence.
Image 1: Pencil drawing of angular shapes (Draper 2018:36), Copyright Draper.
In-text Citation
Draper defines angular shapes as ‘...characterized in appearance by a confusion of overlapping geometric shapes criss-crossed with lines, creating sharp angles’ (2018:36).
Reference List
Rule = Author A or Creator Full Name (Year) Title or description of work, Publisher, Place of Publication.
Draper J (2018) Stitch and pattern, Batsford, London.
Please remember the following when using an image in your assessment:
Caption format (source journal articles)
Rule = Locator x: Title or Description (Author Surname Year:page), Licence.
Image 1: Photo of four types of EV charging stations (Zweistra et al. 2020:3) Copyright Zweistra, Janssen, and Geerts.
In-text Citation
Image 1 (Zweistra et al. 2020:3) shows photos of 4 types of charging stations in use ….
Reference List
Rule = Author A or Creator Full Name (Year) ‘Title of journal article’, Title of Journal, vol. x(no. x):page range xx-xx, doi:xxx.
Zweistra M, Janssen S and Geerts F (2020) ‘Large scale smart charging of electric vehicles in practice’, Energies,13(2):298, doi:10.3390/en13020298.
Please remember the following when using an image in your assessment:
Table or Graph from a website
Locator & Caption
Rule = Locator x: Title or Description (Author Surname Year), License.
Graph 1: Increase in air temperate. Australia's changing climate (CSIRO 2021), Copyright CSIRO.
In-text Citation
Graph 1 (CSIRO 2021) shows that air temperature in 2010 has increased significantly and ...
Reference List
Author A or Organisation (Year) Title, Name of Website website, accessed Day Month Year, URL.
CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) (2021) Australia's changing climate, CSIRO website, accessed 2 June 2022, https://www.csiro.au/en/research/environmental-impacts/climate-change/state-of-the-climate/previous/state-of-the-climate-2018/australias-changing-climate.
Referencing a graph/table you have created using published data from another source:
Locator & Caption
Rule: Locator x: Title or Description (Data obtained from Author Surname Year:page), License.
Table 1: Education data for rest of Qld in 2016 census (Data obtained from ABS 2016), Copyright ABS.
In-text Citation
Table 1 shows the percentage of population in Queensland who were attending education Institutes in 2016 (ABS 2025).
Reference List
Rule: Author A or Name of Agency (Year) Title of data set [graph/table], Name of Website website, accessed Day Month Year, URL.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2025) 2016 Census quickstats: people demographics & education [table], ABS website, accessed 23 January 2025, https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2016/3#people.
Referencing a graph/table you have created yourself using your own data:
Locator & Caption
Rule: Figure number: Description.
Figure 1: Live Chat Statistics for the month of July 2021.
In-text Citation & Reference List
No entry required.