How to Cite MLA Style Photos From Web Pages

MLA guidelines specify that the date of access should be included when citing an Internet image.

The proliferation of sources in the digital age can be a boon to researchers, but it makes citations that much more challenging, since it's often difficult to know who to credit for an image or idea found on the Internet. If you're a researcher who's wondered about how to cite digital images, the answer will help make your research more credible to your peers and bestow needed credit on the artists who create the visual language of the Internet.

Instructions

1. Determine if the image appears only on the Internet, or whether it is a reproduction of a work housed in a physical location, such as a museum or gallery.

2. Begin by citing the name of the artist for Internet-only images (this may be a user name if this is how the author is identified.) Follow this by the title of the work in quotation marks, then supply the medium (i.e., photograph, drawing, etc.) The website is then cited with its name italicized, followed by the version number, the sponsor, affiliation or institution that hosts the site (for example, an academic or government institution) and the date the image was created. The citation should be completed with the date that you accessed the image.

3. Begin with the name of the artist for photos that are reproduced from some other source (last name followed by first name). This should be followed by the name of the work of art in italics. The date of the work's creation and the home institution of the work should then be added, along with the city. Conclude the citation by supplying the website's name, in italics, the medium by which it was published (in this case, simply write "Web") and the date you accessed the work.

References

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Citing An Image (Including a Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph)
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Basic Style for Citations of Electronic Sources (Including Online Databases)