How do you cite a google image in apa

How do you cite a google image in apa

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Google images can be extremely useful when writing a research paper because they add interest and visual support for your assertions. When writing in American Psychological Association, or APA, style, all images must be properly cited. A Google image should be treated like any other electronic image -- the same as a graph, chart or table. Once it is located, you must click the image to visit the original website, as this is the site that should be referenced, not Google.

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1 The Reference Page

After performing a Google search and locating the image you want to use in your paper, simply click that image to visit the original website. Gather the appropriate information for the reference page and list it like this: Author. (Publication Date). Title of image. Title of website. Retrieved from URL.

Here is an example: Schultz, R. (2013). Victor Cruz. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-cruz-giants-20130708,0,2987171.story?track=rss.

Italicize the website title and list the entry in alphabetical order by the author's name. If the image does not have a title, then describe the content in brackets.

About the Author

Jen has been a professional writer since 2002 in the education nonprofit industry. Her work has been featured in the New Jersey SEEDS Annual Report, as well as several Centenary College publications, including "Centenary in the News" and the "Trustee Times." In 2009, Jen earned a Master of Arts degree in leadership and public administration from Centenary College.

How to Cite an Image in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on June 16, 2022.

This article reflects the APA 7th edition guidelines. Click here for APA 6th edition guidelines.

An APA image citation includes the creator’s name, the year, the image title and format (e.g. painting, photograph, map), and the location where you accessed or viewed the image.

APA formatLast name, Initials. (Year). Image title [Format]. Site Name. or Museum, Location. URL
APA reference entryvan Gogh, V. (1889). The starry night [Painting]. Museum of Modern Art, New York City, NY, United States. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802
APA in-text citation(van Gogh, 1889)

When you include an image or photo in your text, as well as citing the source, you must also present it as a figure and include any copyright/permissions information.

You can create your citations automatically with Scribbr’s free APA citation generator.

Generate an APA citation

Citing images accessed online

For online images, include the name of the site you found it on, and a URL. Link directly to the image where possible, as it may be hard to locate from the other information given.

APA formatLast name, Initials. (Year). Image title [Format]. Site Name. URL
APA reference entryThompson, M. (2020). Canyon wren [Photograph]. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/2icfzq4
APA in-text citation(Thompson, 2020)

Missing information

It can often be hard to find accurate information about images accessed online. Try looking for alternate sources of an image, checking image sites like Flickr that provide reliable information on their images, or finding a different image in cases where the one you planned to use has no reliable information.

However, if you do need to cite an image with no author, date or title listed, there are ways around this.

For untitled images, include a description of the image, in square brackets, where the title would usually go. If there is no publication date, add “n.d.” in place of the date, and add the date that you accessed the image.

APA reference entry
Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps map of Utrecht city center]. Retrieved January 10, 2020, from https://goo.gl/maps/keKNQZHZTS7ticwb8
APA in-text citation(Google, n.d.)

For images where the creator is unknown, you can use the title or description in the author position.

APA reference entry[Photograph of a violent confrontation during the Hong Kong protests]. (2019). https://twitter.com/xyz11111112
APA in-text citation([Confrontation during Hong Kong protests], 2019)

Citing images viewed in person

If you viewed an image in person rather than online—for example in a museum or gallery, or in another text—the source information is different.

For images viewed in a museum or gallery, you include the name and location of the institution where you viewed the image.

APA formatLast name, Initials. (Year). Image title [Format]. Museum, Location.
APA reference entryGoya, F. (1819–1823). Saturn devouring his son [Painting]. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.
APA in-text citation(Goya, 1819–1823)

Location information includes the city, state/province (abbreviated), and country, e.g. Sydney, NSW, Australia. Omit the state/province if not applicable.

Citations for images sourced from a print publication such as a book, journal, or magazine include information about the print source in which the image originally appeared:

American Psychological Association. (2020). Sample conceptual model [Infographic]. In Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed., p. 238). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Including images as figures

When you include the image itself in your paper, it should be properly formatted as an APA figure, with a number, a descriptive title, and an entry in your list of figures if you have one.

The title of a figure should appear immediately above the image itself, and will vary according to the type of image cited. For example, an artwork is simply the work’s title.

A note below the figure may include further details regarding its authorship and medium, copyright/permissions information, additional explanatory notes, or other elements.

How do you cite a google image in apa

Note that any figures that you didn’t create yourself should appear both in your list of figures (if you have one) and on your reference page. Figures you create yourself only appear in the list of figures.

Frequently asked questions about APA image citations

How do I cite an image on my title page?

In most styles, the title page is used purely to provide information and doesn’t include any images. Ask your supervisor if you are allowed to include an image on the title page before doing so. If you do decide to include one, make sure to check whether you need permission from the creator of the image.

Include a note directly beneath the image acknowledging where it comes from, beginning with the word “Note.” (italicized and followed by a period). Include a citation and copyright attribution. Don’t title, number, or label the image as a figure, since it doesn’t appear in your main text.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, June 16). How to Cite an Image in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/image/

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Do I have to cite images from Google in APA?

Instead of citing “Google Images,” you must cite the original source of the image. For any image found from Google Images, find the original source of the image by clicking the “Visit page” button. Then, the image should be cited using the following details (if available) as per your class style (APA, MLA, or Chicago):

How do I cite Google Images in APA 7th edition?

Image from an Electronic Source.
creator's name (author, artist, photographer etc.).
date the work was published or created..
title of the work..
place of publication..
publisher..
type of material (for photographs, charts, online images).
website address and access date..