Referring to an image only (not reproducing)
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. An image can include a photograph, table, diagram or infographic.
Reproducing an image in your assignment
To reproduce (inserted) an image in your assignment you must also include an attribution in the form of locators and a caption as well. Unless it is a clip art or stock image with a licence stating that no attribution is required, then no caption or APA referencing is required. Examples include Microsoft Word and Power Point.
Fair Dealing
"There are a list of exceptions called ‘fair dealing‘ in the Copyright Act that allow students to copy and use other people’s material for the purpose of ‘research and study’," (National Copyright Unit, n.d.-b, para. 12). This includes artistic works such as images, photographs, charts and diagrams. Outside this exception you will need to get permission from the copyright owner to reproduce an image.
Caption & Locators
Locators such as Figure 1 etc. are used to identify image or diagrams whenever they are included as part of the assignment. The Caption includes the following elements:
Locator, Description, Source & Licence information.
Locator= Figure.
Description= Includes the title and format. If there is no title for the image include a description in brackets [Description] instead.
Source= Includes the information about where the image is from, ie website, book, journal etc.
Licence = ie creative commons CC BY-SA 2.0, Copyright year by author, In the public domain.
For more information about attributing creative commons licencing material go to the Smartcopying website.
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.
Add a caption under the image, if you are reproducing a copy of the image, table, graph etc. into your assignment.
Caption format (source web site)
Locator x. From Title of Image [Format], by A. A. Author, Year, Publisher. (DOI/URL). Licence.
Figure 1. From Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea [Photograph], by P. Kavanagh, 2023, Flickr. (https://flic.kr/p/2oaoF7j), CC BY 2.0.
Figure 2. From Sorting through our space junk [Infographic], by R. Palmer & R. McCarthy, 2015, World Science Festival. (www.worldsciencefestival.com/infographics/space-junk-infographic/), Copyright n.d. by World Science Festival.
In-text citation
Figure 1 of the Curlew sandpiper (Kavanagh, 2023) is an example of ...
According to Figure 2 (Rossman & Palmer) the weight of all the space junk around earth is equal to a 1000 African elephants.
Reference List
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of work [Format]. Site Name. https://xxxxx
Kavanagh, P. (2023, January 8). Curlew sandpiper, Calidris ferruginea [Photograph]. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/2oaoF7j
Rossman, J., & Palmer, R. (2015). Sorting through our space junk [Infographic]. World Science Festival.
https://www.worldsciencefestival.com/2015/11/space-junk-infographic
Examples include:
A figure number and caption to be used if you are inserting the image in your assignment.
An in-text citation to be used if you are referring to the image in your assignment.
A reference list entry that must be included at the end of your assignment.
Caption format (source book)
Locator x. Title of Image [Format], From Title of Book or Report (p. x), by A. A. Author and B. B. Author, year, Publisher (DOI or URL). Copyright year by Publisher.
Figure 3. Components of the nursing process [Diagram], From Tabbner's nursing care: Theory and practice (Nursing process: framework), by G. Koutoukidis and K. Stainton, 2021, Elsevier. Copyright 2021 by Elsevier.
If eBook has no page numbers use the chapter title instead.
In-text citation
The components of nursing diagram figure 3 (Koutoukidis & Stainton, 2021) shows a five step process ...
Reference List
Koutoukidis, G., & Stainton, K. (2021). Tabbner's nursing care: Theory and practice (8th ed.). Elsevier Australia.
Examples include:
A figure number and caption to be used if you are inserting the image in your assignment.
An in-text citation to be used if you are referring to the image in your assignment.
A reference list entry that must be included at the end of your assignment.
Caption format (source Journal)
Locator x.. Title of Image [Format], From “Title of Article,” by A. A. Author and B. B. Author, year, Title of Periodical, Volume(Issue), p. X. (DOI or URL). Copyright year by Publisher.
Figure 4. Comparative grid of the seven levels of evidence [Table], From "A nurses’ guide to the hierarchy of research designs and evidence", by R. Ingham-Broomfield, 2016, Australian Journal of Advance Nursing, 33(3), p. 42. (https://tafeqld.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3a%2f%2fsearch.ebscohost.com%2flogin.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26db%3da9h%26AN%3d114833287%26site%3deds-live%26scope%3dsite&profile=eds). Copyright 2016 by Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing.
In-text citation
Level 7 is considered the least reliable of the levels of evidence listed on Figure 4. (Ingham-Broomfield, 2016) while ...
Reference List
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of journal, vol(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Ingham-Broomfield, R. (2016). A nurses’ guide to the hierarchy of research designs and evidence. Australian Journal of Advance Nursing, 33(3), p. 38-43.