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To cite an image from a website, identify the creator, title or description, date, website hosting the image, and the stable page URL. Then format those details in the style your school, publisher, or instructor requires.
Do not cite Google Images, Pinterest, or a social-media repost as though it were the original source. Follow the image to the page that actually publishes or hosts it. Also remember: citing an image gives credit; it does not automatically give you permission to reproduce it.
First, find the image’s original webpage
Search engines are useful for discovering an image, but the search-result page is usually not the source you should cite. Open the result and look for the original photographer, artist, museum, archive, publisher, agency, or organization.
MLA specifically advises that viewing only a search-engine thumbnail is not enough. Cite the stable landing page where the image appears, rather than a temporary image-file or content-delivery URL. See MLA’s guidance on online images.
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If the image has been reposted, prefer the earliest authoritative source you can verify. If you can find only a repost, cite that repost accurately instead of claiming it is the original.
Information to collect
| Element | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Creator | Caption, credit line, artwork record, metadata, or creator page |
| Title | Image caption, museum record, artwork listing, or page heading |
| Description | Use a concise factual description when no title is supplied |
| Date | Image record or publication information; distinguish creation from page updates |
| Website or container | The page or site displaying the image |
| URL | Prefer the stable page URL over a direct image-file address |
| License | Rights statement, Creative Commons badge, or image details |
| Access date | Required or useful in some styles and for unstable or undated pages |
Save a screenshot or PDF of the source page if its credit information may change or the page may disappear.
How to cite an image in APA 7
Standalone image
Template:
Creator, A. A. (Year). Title of image [Photograph/Artwork/Infographic]. Website Name. URL
Example:
Smith, J. (2024). Mountain lake at sunrise [Photograph]. Example Photography. https://example.com/mountain-lake
The in-text citation is generally (Smith, 2024).
Untitled image
Use a brief description in square brackets:
Smith, J. (2024). [Mountain lake at sunrise] [Photograph]. Example Photography. URL
Keep the description factual. Do not invent a poetic title or imply information the source does not provide.
No date
APA uses n.d. when no date is available:
Smith, J. (n.d.). Mountain lake at sunrise [Photograph]. Example Photography. URL
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Image reproduced as a figure
Include the reference-list entry and a figure caption or note. For example:
Figure 1
Mountain lake at sunrise.
Note. From Mountain lake at sunrise, by J. Smith, 2024, Example Photography (URL). Copyright 2024 by J. Smith.
Use “Adapted from” when you crop, recolor, annotate, or otherwise change the image. The exact note and permission language can depend on whether the work is copyrighted, licensed, public domain, or used under a legal exception. Check the current APA guidance or your publisher’s requirements.
How to cite an image in MLA 9
Basic online image
Template:
Creator. Title of image. Date. Website Name, URL.
Example:
Bearden, Romare. The Train. 1975. MoMA, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/65232?locale=en.
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For MLA’s current image-format guidance, see MLA’s image citation examples.
Untitled image
Replace the title with a description:
Red fox standing in snow. Example Wildlife, URL.
If no copyright or publication date appears, an access date may be useful or required by the circumstances:
Jigsaw puzzle image of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Liberty Puzzles, URL. Accessed 25 Sept. 2018.
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Image inside a website article
When an article reproduces an image, you can cite the image as a work contained in the article or cite the article when the article’s presentation or discussion is what matters:
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Describe the image accurately if it is a reproduction, crop, screenshot, or digitally altered version. MLA discusses this situation in its guidance on citing images from websites.
Organization credited as creator
If no individual photographer or artist is named, use the responsible organization when one is clearly credited:
Title or description. Organization, Date. Website Name, URL.
Do not automatically treat the website owner as the photographer. A site may be displaying work licensed from an agency, archive, or third party. See MLA’s organization-credit guidance.
How to cite an image in Chicago
Chicago commonly documents reproduced images with a figure caption and credit line, along with a note and bibliography entry when formal source documentation is required.
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Caption and credit
Figure 1. Title or description of image, by Creator, Year. Website Name, URL. Reproduced under [license or permission information].
Note
1. Creator, “Title or description of image,” Year, Website Name, URL.
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Creator. “Title or description of image.” Year. Website Name. URL.
Chicago treatment varies for standalone artworks, museum records, screenshots, images inside articles, and images reproduced with permission. The current Chicago Manual of Style is the 18th edition, published in 2024.
Special cases
Artwork on a museum website
Cite the artwork and the museum collection page. Use the museum’s supplied title, artist, date, medium, and collection information where relevant. The museum page is the source location; it does not necessarily own the copyright in every work it displays.
Infographic, chart, or illustration
Identify the creator or organization, use the supplied title, and label the work accurately as an infographic, chart, illustration, or other visual format. If you change it, state that it was adapted.
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Screenshot
Cite the website or software interface shown in the screenshot. Disclose arrows, highlights, labels, cropping, or other annotations. The person who captures a screenshot does not usually receive creator credit merely for making the capture. Chicago discusses screenshot treatment in its documentation FAQ.
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Social-media post
Cite the specific post if it is the source you are discussing, and identify the original artist or photographer when the post credits one. A social-media account that reposts an image is not automatically the copyright owner.
Stock image or agency image
Use the provider’s image page, supplied creator credit, and metadata. If an agency such as Getty Images or AP is credited, do not infer an individual photographer unless the agency identifies one.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What if information is missing?
- No creator: Use the credited organization if one is responsible for the image. Otherwise begin with the title or description according to the style.
- No title: Use a neutral description. APA places it in square brackets; MLA can use it in place of a title.
- No date: APA uses
n.d.. MLA generally omits the unavailable date and may use an access date. Chicago treatment depends on the format and source. - Only a page update date: Do not assume it is the image’s creation date. Label or use it only when it is clearly the relevant publication date.
- Dead page: Search the exact title, check an authoritative museum or archive record, and record an access date. The Internet Archive may help locate an earlier version.
- Dynamic page: Look for an image-details, metadata, download, or rights link. Cite the stable landing page rather than a temporary CDN address.
Citation is not permission
A citation identifies the source. Attribution gives credit under a license or editorial requirement. Permission is authorization from the copyright owner. These are different things.
Original photographs and other visual works are generally protected by copyright when fixed in a tangible form, although copyright duration, ownership, public-domain status, and exceptions vary by country. The U.S. Copyright Office explains copyright considerations for visual artists.
You may be able to use an image because it is public domain, because a license authorizes the use, or because a legal exception such as fair use applies. Educational use is not automatically fair use. In the United States, fair use is evaluated case by case using purpose and character, nature of the work, amount used, and market effect; there is no fixed percentage or pixel limit that guarantees fair use. See the U.S. Copyright Office fair-use guidance.
For commercial publication, public display, merchandising, or other high-stakes uses, verify the rights and obtain permission when necessary. Copyright law differs by country, so this is general information rather than legal advice.
How to credit a Creative Commons image
Creative Commons does not mean “free without conditions.” Check the exact license and follow the TASL method:
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- Title
- Author
- Source
- License
For example:
Mountain lake at sunrise by J. Smith, https://example.com/mountain-lake, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
License symbols matter. BY requires attribution; SA generally requires adaptations to use the same or a compatible license; ND prohibits derivatives; and NC limits use to noncommercial purposes. CC0 or a public-domain dedication is different from a standard Creative Commons license.
A citation-style bibliography entry and a license-compliant credit line are related but are not always identical. Include the required license notice wherever the rights holder or license requires it. MLA explains this distinction in its guidance on Creative Commons works.
Quick Recap
Common mistakes
- Citing Google Images instead of the original host page.
- Using the website owner’s name as the creator without evidence.
- Confusing an article’s update date with the image’s creation date.
- Using “unknown” or “anonymous” when a title, description, or organization should begin the entry.
- Providing a bibliography entry but no figure caption or credit line when reproducing the image.
- Assuming “free,” “royalty-free,” or “found online” means public domain.
- Assuming a citation makes copying, modifying, or publishing the image lawful.
- Linking to an expiring image file instead of the stable source page.
Quick final checklist
- Find the page that actually hosts or publishes the image.
- Identify the creator or responsible organization.
- Record the exact title, or write a neutral description.
- Separate the image’s creation date from the page’s publication or update date.
- Copy the stable page URL.
- Check the license, rights statement, and permission requirements.
- Format the citation in APA 7, MLA 9, or Chicago as required.
- Add a figure caption and credit line if you reproduce the image.
- State when the image was cropped, annotated, recolored, or otherwise adapted.
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