How to Cite an Image From the Internet

Including an image found on the Internet in a paper or project requires proper citation, just like any other source. When using MLA (Modern Language Association) style, images found only on the Internet are cited differently than images that are replicas of paintings, photographs or sculptures located in museums or galleries. APA (American Psychological Association) style uses the same guidelines for all types of online images.

Instructions

MLA- Web Only

1. Write the name of the image's author (last name first and first name second) if available, or write the username of the person who posted the image on the website. Place a period after the name and include the title of the image inside quotations. If the image is untitled, create your own short description of the image and place that inside quotations instead.

2. Specify the medium of the image, whether photograph, painting, sculpture or drawing. Write the medium after the image's title, finishing with a period. In italics, include the name of the website and a period.

3. Look near the bottom or top of the website for its sponsor or publisher. Write the name after the website title. Use a comma, then list the date of the website's creation in the format "day month year." Abbreviate the month, and end with a period. For example: 16 Jan. 2011.

4. Write "Web" followed by a period after the date to indicate that you found the image online. Add the date you found the online image in the format "day month year." Complete the citation with a period.

   Your citation will look like the following example: Doe, John. "Family of Wolves." Photograph. Wildlife Shots (in italics). National Geographic, 25 April 2005. Web. 18 Jan. 2011.

MLA- Non-Inclusive Online Image

1. List the last, then first name, of the image's artist, separated with a comma and ending with a period. Italicize the name of the work of art, add a period and indicate the year the work was created.

2. Name the museum, institution or gallery where the original artwork is located, followed by a comma and the city. Include a period. In italics, write the name of the website where you found the image.

3. Identify the medium of publication by writing "Web" and then a period. In the format "day month year," include the date you accessed the website. Abbreviate the name of months and place a period after the year.

4. Use the following citation as a model: Johnson, Paul. American Families (in italics). 1930. Museum of Contemporary Art, New York. The Collection (in italics). Web. 10 June 2011.

APA

1. Write the author's last name and his first initial separated by a period. In parenthesis, add the role of the author, for example, photographer, designer or artist. Insert a period. In parenthesis indicate the year the image was made. Place a period after the last parenthesis.

2. Name the title of the image, and in brackets state the type of image. Use a comma and write "Retrieved" followed by the date you accessed the online image. Write the date in "month day year" format.

3. Insert a comma after the year and write "from," a colon and the website's URL. Your citation will resemble the example from the Landmark College website: Kulbis, M. (Photographer). (2006). Men pray [Photograph], Retrieved April 12, 2006, from: http://accuweather.ap.org/cgi-bin/aplaunch.pl

References

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Online Images in MLA
• Landmark College: Electronic Images in APA