Skip to Main Content

APA 7th ed. Citation Guide: Images, Charts, Graphs, Maps & Tables

Contains the latest changes and updates to APA Style

Missing Information?

Some sources, such as websites, may not have the full information to create a citation.  APA has guidelines for dealing with missing components of a citation, both in-text and reference entry.

Helpful Resources

To better understand images, copyright, and attribution, check out these library guides:

For more examples of tables and figures: 

Figure Guidelines

Visual displays (other than tables) are considered to be figures in APA Style. 

Common types of figures include line graphs, bar graphs, charts (e.g., flowcharts, pie charts), drawings, maps, plots (e.g., scatterplots), photographs, infographics, and other illustrations.

 

In-Text Figure Components:

Number: The figure number (e.g., Figure 1) appears above the figure title and image in bold font.

Title: Create a descriptive title for the figure. Place the title one space below the figure number in italic font.

Image: Insert the photograph, drawing, chart, or illustration that you would like to include in your paper.

Legend: If a legend or key is present, it should be included within the borders of the figure. 

Note: Notes appear below the figure to describe contents of the figure that cannot be understood from the figure title, image, and/or legend alone. Notes will include reference information and copyright information as required.

 

Note Components: 

  1. Note:
    • Begin with the word Note.
  2. "From" or "Adapted From"
    • If reusing an exact image, use "From". If you have modified the image, use "Adapted From".
  3. Citation Information
    • Typical order: "Title of Article" by A. Author and B. Author, year, publication information (ex. website title, or journal title), copyright attribution.

 

Reference List Entry: 

Cite the figure in your Reference List using the citation format of the source where the figure was found. 

For example, if you find an image on a website, cite the website. If you use a chart from a journal article, cite the journal article.

 

Citing Information from a Figure (Not Inserting It):

  • Provide an in-text citation using the citation format of the source where the figure was found.
  • Cite the figure in your Reference List using the citation format of the source where the figure was found

Figure Examples

In-Text:

Figure 1

Horseshoe Falls from the Skylon Tower (Niagara Falls, Canada)

Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls, Canada

Note. From O Canada [Photograph], by A. Parlette, 2023, Flickr (https://flic.kr/p/2oQ9gGo). CC BY 2.0.

Reference List:

Creator's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of creation). Title of image or description of image. [Photograph/ Clip art/ Map]. Organization/Website Name, Location. http://www.xxxxxx

Parlette, A. (2023). O Canada. [Photograph]. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/2oQ9gGo

In-Text: Image With No Attribution Required

Figure 2

Illustrated Singing Bird

 

 

(Including a note or description after an image with no attribution required is optional)

 

Reference List:

Creator's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of creation). Title of image or description of image. [Photograph / Clip art]. Organization/Website Name, Location. http://wwww.xxxxxx

(2018). Singing bird. [Clip art]. Openclipart.org. https://openclipart.org/detail/308217/singing-bird

In-Text: Image With Attribution Required

To cite a photograph, clip art, or stock image with attribution required, follow the example in the "Photograph" tab. Include [Clip art] or [Stock image] in references (instead of [Photograph]). 

 

In-Text: Google Maps

Figure 4

Driving directions from Sutherland Campus to Frost Campus

Google Map directions from Fleming's Sutherland Campus to Frost Campus

Note. From Google Maps, by Google (https://maps.app.goo.gl/jAbqb8ND2wQN5M7A7). Copyright 2023 by Google.

Reference List:

Creator's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of creation). [Description of map]. Retrieved month, day, year, from https://www.xxxxxx

Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving between Fleming College Sutherland Campus to Fleming College Frost Campus]. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from https://maps.app.goo.gl/jAbqb8ND2wQN5M7A7.

In-Text: Maps from Websites

Figure 9

Percentage of population in poverty in Ontario, 2020

Ontario Thematic Map - Population in Poverty

Note. This data is based on the 2018 base of the Market Basket Measure, Canada's official poverty line. Adapted from Ontario Region Percentage of the population in poverty in 2020, by 2021 census subdivision, by Statistics Canada, 2021. (www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/geo/maps-cartes/thematicmaps-cartesthematiques/mbm-mpc/files-fichiers/2021-92173-003-300-008-03-eng.pdf). 

Reference List:

Creator's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of creation). Title or description [Map]. Publisher (if different from creator). https://www.xxxxxx

Statistics Canada. (2021). Ontario Region Percentage of the population in poverty in 2020, by 2021 census subdivision [Map]. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/geo/maps-cartes/thematicmaps-cartesthematiques/mbm-mpc/files-fichiers/2021-92173-003-300-008-03-eng.pdf

In-Text:

Figure 7

The Starry Night

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

Note. From The Starry Night [Painting], by V. van Gogh, 1889, The Museum of Modern Art (https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-night-1889/). Public domain.

Reference List:

Creator's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of creation). Title of artwork or description of artwork. [Medium or format]. Organization/Website Name, Location. http://wwww.xxxxxx

van Gogh, V. (1889). The starry night [Painting]. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, United States. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-night-1889/

In-Text:

Figure 6 

Indigenous Languages in Canada, 2021

Indigenous language infographic

Note. From Indigenous languages in Canada, 2021 [Infographic], by Statistics Canada, 2023 (https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2023029-eng.htm)

Reference List:

Creator's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of creation). Title of image or description of image. [Photograph/ Clip art/ Map]. Organization/Website Name, Location. http://wwww.xxxxxx

Statistics Canada (2023). Indigenous languages in Canada, 2021 [Infographic]. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-627-m/11-627-m2023029-eng.htm

Table Guidelines

Table Components:

Number:   The table number (e.g. Table 1) appears above the table in bold font

Title:  The Table title appears one double-spaced line below the table number in italic title case

Headings: All tables should include column headings, including a heading for the leftmost column (stub heading)

Body: The table body includes all the rows and columns of a table.  The body may be single space, one and a half spaced, or double spaced

Note: A note can appear below the table to describe the contents of the table that cannot be understood from the table or body alone (e.g. definitions of abbreviations, copyright attribution).

 

General Rules:

  • In the text, refer to every table by its number.  For example, As shown in Table 1, .... (no italics, but with a capital T)
  • There are two options for the placement of tables in a paper.  The first option is to place all tables on separate pages after the reference list.  The second option is to embed each table within the text.
  • If you reprint or adapt a table from another source in your paper (e.g. a table from a published work), you must include a copyright attribution in the table note indicating the origin of the reprinted or adapted material in addition to a reference list entry for the work.
    • Note. Reprinted from "....."  Indicates the information is copied exactly as it appears in the original source.
    • Note. Adapted from "....."  Indicates the information is taken from another source but used in a different format from the original.
    • Note. a b   "....." Indicates more than one source was used in the table.
  • Works with Creative Commons Licenses should be cited accordingly.
     

Components required in a Note for Copyright Attribution:

Note: Reprinted/Adapted from Title of Article by Author First Initial. Second Initial. Author Surname, Year, Publisher. Copyright 20XX by Name of Copyright Holder.

Table Examples

In-Text:

 

Reference List:

Rasmussen, E. J. (2009). Employment relations in New Zealand. (2nd ed.). Pearson.

 

In-Text:

 

Reference List:

Buckels, E. E., Beall, A. T., Hofer, M. K., Lin, E. Y., Zhou, Z. & Schaller, M. (2015). "Individual differences in activation of the parental care motivational system: assessment, prediction and implications". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(3) 501. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000023

 

In-Text:

When creating a table using data retrieved from various sources, each source needs to be identified in the Notes beneath the table. Use superscripted letters in the table beside the data and correspond it to the Notes.   A full, proper citation also required for all listed sources in the Reference List. 

Table X.

Title describing the contents of the table.

 

Note:  a  Adapted from "When Salespeople Manage Customer Relationships: Multidimensional Incentives and Private Information", by M. Kim, K. Sudhir, K. Uetake, and R. Caneles, 2019, Journal of Marketing, 56(5), p. 765. Copyright 2019 by the American Marketing Association.  b   Adapted from Percentage of New Zealand population who have never worked, June 2016 quarter, from http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/income-and-work/employment_and_unemployment/people-never-worked.aspx. Copyright 2016 by Statistics New Zealand.   c   Adapted from  Calculation of  men and women who have left the workforce, April - December, 2015, by  R. Morgan. Copyright 2015 by Roy Morgan Single Source New Zealand.

Reference Entries:

(Each source used to create the table requires a separate Reference entry)

Kim, M., Sudhir, K., Uetake, K., & Canales, R. (2019). When salespeople manage customer relationships: Multidimensional incentives and private information. Journal of Marketing Research, 56(5), 749–766. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243719847661

Roy Morgan New Zealand. (2015). Calculation of men and women who have left the workforce, April - December 2015 [Table]. Roy Morgan Single Source New Zealand.

Statistics New Zealand. (2016). Percentage of New Zealand population who have never worked, June 2016 quarter [Table].  http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/income-and-work/employment_and_unemployment/people-never-worked.aspx

chat loading...