Subject guides: CDU APA Referencing: Visual works (images, figures, tables...)

Understanding Copyright

Images, figures, tables, graphs, and other visual works can provide helpful evidence and reinforcement to your research, but as with other resources, content and ideas must be credited.

When reproducing images, be aware of copyright and licensing restrictions. Images can be found in journal articles, books, web pages, or online image collections like Flickr. Not all images are freely available and might be subject to copyright restrictions.

When reproducing (inserting/pasting) an image, make sure you understand copyright.

You can read more about this on the CDU Referencing Guide: Copyright and Images page.

✓ Generally Allowed: Using copyrighted images for study purposes (e.g., in an assignment) with proper attribution and reference.

✘ Generally Not Allowed: Publishing work (e.g., a poster created for an assignment used in your workplace) would breach copyright. UNLESS copyright permission is attained from the owner.

Please note: If your thesis is publicly available, you may need permission for copyrighted images.

There are three main ways of referencing visual works based on use and source location:

Referring to images but not reproducing them in your work.
Reproducing images from an online collection – e.g., Google Images, Pixabay, Pexels, Wikimedia Commons.
Reproducing images from within a source – e.g., in a report, website, book, journal article.

Referring to but Not Reproducing Images

You can cite an image from an online collection without reproducing it. When you refer to a visual work in text but do not insert/paste the visual work, you would use a citation and reference only.

From an online collection

In the photo Autumn Ivy (Curtin University Library, 2007) …

Curtin University Library. (2007). Autumn ivy [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/curtinuniversitylibrary/1440410713

From within a source

Author (date) or (Author, date)

Referenced as per source type, i.e. book, journal article, website…

Reproducing Images: What It Looks Like

‘Reproducing’ an image means inserting or pasting it into your work as a visual work. When you reproduce a visual work, you must include a caption acknowledgment beneath it.

Here is an example of an image reproduced in a report:

Effective pain management is essential in postoperative care to enhance recovery and reduce complications like deep vein thrombosis and delayed healing (Berg et al., 2018). Nurses commonly assess pain using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS).

Figure 1

From Measuring Pain in the Clinic, European Pain Clinic, n.d., (https://europeanpainfederation.eu/measuring-pain-in-the-clinic/)

As shown in Figure 1, patients rate their pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). This helps determine the appropriate pain management strategy. Proper pain control can improve patient comfort, reduce hospital stays, and enhance recovery (Kehlet & Dahl, 2019). Timely and accurate pain assessment using tools like the NRS ensures that interventions are…

Visual work from an online collection

Caption (placed below the visual work)

From Title of Visual Work [Format], by A. A. Author, Year, Publisher. (DOI/URL). Licence.

Reference List Entry

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of visual work. [Type]. Publisher. DOI or URL

Visual work [TYPE] examples = [Photograph]. [Figure]. [Table]. [Map]. [Graph]. [Chart].
It is acceptable to resize the caption to a smaller font if it is too long
If created by you and published (e.g., Facebook) use this forma
If unpublished, cite visual work as personal communication
For more information about CC Licenses, check out https://creativecommons.org/

Visual work from an online collection: With a Title

From Zebra Finches [Photograph], by R. H. Lee, 2009, Flickr. (https://flic.kr/p/6k75fD). CC BY-SA 2.0.	If the image has a long title, use the first few words of the title in the in-text citation. The image title in the caption has capital letters on all words, as it is a part of the text of your essay.
	Lee (2009) captured this photo in the…
	Lee, R. H. (2009). Zebra finches [Photograph]. Flickr. https://flic.kr/p/6k75fD
	Include the full title of the image in the reference. Use sentence case capitalisation in the reference list entry.

Visual work from online collection: NO title (ie., most Pexel/Pixabay images)

The photo of a brown bear is by Rasmus Svinding, 2006, Pexels. (https://www.pexels.com/photo /brown-bear-35435/). CC0	When you do not have a title, provide a brief description of the image in the caption.
	(Svinding, 2006)
	Svinding, R. (2006). [Brown bear] [Photograph]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/zoobear-35435/
	Add a brief description of the photo in square brackets.

Visual work in the public domain or with CC0 (No Rights Reserved) License

From Schematic Diagram of the Human Eye [Photograph], by Rhcastilhos, 2007, Wikimedia Commons. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/File:Schematic_diagram_of_the_human_eye_en.svg). In the public domain.	Cite images in the public domain/with a CC0 Licence even if no attribution is required.
	…to avoid issues (Rhcastilhos, 2007).
	Rhcastilhos. (2007). Schematic diagram of the human eye [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Schematic_diagram_of_the_human_eye_en.svg
	Give the author’s name exactly as it appears on the source page of the image.

Visual work from a resource

Caption (placed below the visual work)

From Title of Resource, by Author, Year. Publisher (DOI/URL).

Reference List Entry

Reference as source type i.e. book, journal article, website…

If it is not clear that the image is licenced under Creative Commons or is in the public domain, assume that the image is under copyright.

Visual work from a journal article

From “Romantic Relationship Development: The Interplay Between Age and Relationship Length,” by A. Lantagne and W. Furman, 2017, Developmental Psychology, 53(9), p. 1744 (https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000363). Copyright 2017 by the American Psychological Association.

Lantagne and Furman (2017)

or …as seen in the graph (Lantagne and Furman, 2017)

Lantagne, A., & Furman, W. (2017). Romantic relationship development: The interplay between age and relationship length. Developmental Psychology, 53(9), 1738-1749. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000363

Visual work from a book

From Plant Anatomy: Images and Diagrams to Explain Concepts (p. 6), by S. M. Bellairs, 2018, Charles Darwin University (https://cduebooks.pressbooks.pub/ plantanatomy/). CC BY-SA 4.0.

As depicted by Bellairs (2018) …

or (Bellairs, 2018)

Bellairs, S. M. (2018). Plant anatomy: Images and diagrams to explain concepts. Charles Darwin University. https://cduebooks.pressbooks.pub/ plantanatomy/

Visual work from information on a web page

From How Tobacco* Impacts Your Health by Department of Public Health, n.d. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/how-tobacco-impacts-your-health).

When a copyright holder is NOT identified.

Department of Public Health (n.d.)

Department of Public Health. (n.d.). How tobacco* impacts your health. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/how-tobacco-impacts-your-health

From From 9/11 to Christchurch Earthquakes: How Unis Have Supported Students After a Crisis, by P. Gonzalez, 2020, The Conversation (https://theconversation.com/from-9-11-to-christchurch-earthquakes-how-unis-have-supported-students-after-a-crisis-130047). Copyright n.d. by Hubert Boesl/DPA.

When a copyright holder is identified.

(Gonzalez, 2020).

Gonzalez, P. (2020, January 23). From 9/11 to Christchurch earthquakes: How unis have supported students after a crisis. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/from-9-11-to-christchurch-earthquakes-how-unis-have-supported-students-after-a-crisis-130047

Visual work from social media

From Vaping Products Aren’t Regulated so it’s Difficult to Know Exactly What They Contain [Image], by Lung Foundation Australia, 2023, Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/CoWiY0IsDIm/).

When the visual work has a text caption for the title.

Lung Foundation Australia (2023)

Lung Foundation Australia [@lungfoundation]. (2023, February 7). Vaping products aren’t regulated so it’s difficult to know exactly what they contain [Image]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/ CoWiY0IsDIm

The image about the signs of heat stress is by NT Health, 2024, Facebook, (https://www.facebook. com/photo.php?fbid=1099103928923145).

When the visual work does not have text for a title.

…as identified by NT Health (2024).

NT Health. [@NTGovHealth]. (2024, December 16). [The signs of heat stress]. [Image]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ photo.php?fbid=1099103928923145