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APA (7th edition) Citation Guide

Figures and Tables

General rules:

  • In the text, refer to every figure by its number. For example, As shown in Figure 1, ... 
  • There are two options for the placement of figures in a paper. The first option is to place all figures on separate pages after the reference list. The second option is to embed each figure within the text
  • If you reprint or adapt a figure from another source in your paper (e.g., an image you found on the internet), you must include a copyright attribution in the figure note indicating the origin of the reprinted or adapted material in addition to a reference list entry for the work
  • Important notes: Reproduce or adapt copyrighted figures in your thesis or dissertation or other publications - you must get permission from the copyright holder/s for using the material in your thesis or dissertation or other publications. You may not need permission when a reprinted or adapted figure is obtained from the public domain. Works used Creative Commons licences should be cited accordingly. 

Please check the APA style website for an illustration of the basic figure component & placement of figure in a text.

Examples

From a book

Example:

             

In-text citation:

This is clearly indicated in Figure 1,...

Reference list entry:

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

Figure referred to in your text

If you simply refer to a figure, format the in- text citation and the reference list entry as for for books.

In-text citation:

... interpretations of the painting “Mona Lisa” (Gombrich 1995, p. 203).

Reference list entry:

Gombrich, E. H. (1995). The story of art (16th ed.). Phaidon.
From an article

Figure reproduced in your text

Note format - for notes below the figure

Note. Explanations to supplement or clarify information in the image. From “Title of Article,” by Author First Initial. Second Initial. Surname, Year, Journal Title, Volume(issue), page number (url or doi if it's from an ejournal). Copyright Year by the Name of Copyright Holder.

Example:

               

In-text citation:

As shown in Figure 2, there are five groups of factors that influence...

Reference list entry:

Jahan, N., & Rahman, S. (2016). Factors that obstruct tourism development in Bangladesh. CLEAR International Journal of Research in Commerce & Management, 7(9), 48–55.

Figure referred to in your text

If you simply refer to a figure and do not include it in your text, format the in text citation and the reference list entry in the usual way for an article.

In-text citation:

... in the installation "Talking about the Weather"... (Randerson, 2007, p. 446).

Reference list entry:

Randerson, J. (2007). Between reason and sensation: Antipodean artists and climate change. Leonardo, 40(5), 442–448. https://doi.org/10.1162/leon.2007.40.5.442
From a website

Figure reproduced in your text

Note format - for notes below the figure

Note. Explanations to supplement or clarify information in the image. From Title of Website. Website URL. Copyright year by the Name of Copyright Holder.

Examples:

                

                

In-text citation:

As Figure 5 shows, ...

As shown in Figure 6, ...

Reference list:

America's Army. (n.d.). America's Army screen dump showing soldiers and watch tower [Photograph]. http://www.americasarmy.com.

Vermeer, J. (c. 1665). Girl with a pearl earring [Painting]. Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallary, The Hague. http://www.mauritshuis.nl/index.aspx?Chapterid=2295.

 

Figure referred in your text

If you refer to a figure, format the in-text citation and the reference list entry as for websites.

In-text citation:

... facial expression reminiscent of Munch’s The Scream.

Reference list:

  • Not every reference to an artwork needs a reference list entry, for example, if you refer to a famous painting, as above, it would not need a reference.

Notes:

  • many images found online have few details, but always check for extra information by:
    • clicking on or hovering your mouse over the image
    • looking at the bottom of the image
    • looking at the URL
  • if there is no title, create a short descriptive one yourself and put it in square brackets e.g. [...]
  • for more guidance, see Visual works

References

Su, F.Library guides: APA 7th referencing style guide: Figures (graphs and images). https://aut.ac.nz.libguides.com/APA7th/figures