Images are inserted in a text and then referenced at the end of the manuscript. However, the in-text citations for an image are different from that of non-visual material.
The in-text citation for an image is given below the image, where, instead of the author’s name, the image creator’s or photographer’s name is given, along with the image title and the year it was photographed.
What Counts as an “Image” Here?
- Photographs and illustrations
- Charts, maps, and figures copied into your paper
- Clipart and icons
- Museum works you viewed in person
- Images found on sites like Flickr or a gallery page
In your dissertation or research paper, put the image in a numbered figure list and keep the full entry in the reference list. You can also add a List of Figures and Tables in your front matter.
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Basic Harvard Format
In-text (or under-figure caption)
(Creator Surname Year)
Add a brief title if you refer to multiple works by the same creator in the same year.
Caption model
Figure 2. Title — Creator Surname, Year.
Reference list – online image
Creator Surname, Initial(s). (Year). *Title*. [image] Available at: URL [Accessed Day Mon. Year].
Harvard citation example
- In-text: (Lectica, Inc. 2014)
- Reference list: Lectica, Inc. (2014). Validity. [image] Available at: https://dts.lectica.org/_about/las_reliability_validity.php [Accessed 19 Oct. 2014].
Some guides use a print-style variant with publisher and place. Pick one system and keep it across the reference list.
What to Record
| Source type | In-text | Reference list essentials |
|---|---|---|
| Online photo or graphic | (Creator Year) | Creator; Year; Title; [image]; URL; Accessed date |
| Chart copied from a book | (Author Year, p. #) | Author; Year; Book title; publisher; place; page |
| Your own photo | (Your Surname Year) | Your Surname Year, Title/description, unpublished photograph |
| Clipart/icon | (Library/Company Year) | Library/Company Year, Title/description [graphic], company |
| No named creator | (‘Image title’ Year) | ‘Image title’ Year, details as available; URL; Accessed |
| No date | (Creator n.d.) | Creator n.d., Title/description [image], URL, Accessed |
Keep p. for one page and pp. for a range when the source is a book or report.
Charts, Maps, and Figures (Secondary Use)
A chart in your paper still points to a source. Cite the book or report that published it.
In-text: (Newton 2007, p. 118)
Reference list: Newton, AC 2007, Forest Ecology and Conservation: A Handbook of Techniques, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
If you redraw a chart, add “Adapted from Newton (2007)” in the caption. This supports plagiarism checks.
Personal Images (You Created the Photo)
Make authorship plain.
In-text: (Whyle 2008)
Reference list: Whyle, M 2008, Untitled [photographs of classroom displays], unpublished photographs.
Use a short description in square brackets when there is no given title.
Clipart and Software Libraries
The corporate name stands in for the author.
In-text: (Microsoft Clip Art Gallery 2010)
Reference list: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery 2010, Untitled [gymnast graphic], Microsoft Corporation.
Leave Untitled in plain text. Use italics only for a real title.
Missing Creator or Title
No creator shown? Use the title in both places.
In-text: (‘Confrontation during Hong Kong protests’ 2019)
Reference list: ‘Confrontation during Hong Kong protests’ 2019, Photo [image], site or collection as shown, URL [Accessed Day Mon. Year].
No title? Supply a brief description in square brackets: [aerial view of Uluru].
No Date
Use n.d. and keep the Accessed line.
In-text: (LookPictures n.d.)
Reference list: LookPictures n.d., Love Picture Ducks [photograph]. Available at: http://www.lookpictures.net/… [Accessed 16 Apr. 2012].
Images Viewed in Person
You saw the work in a gallery, museum, or public space. Cite the physical source.
Original artwork (in person)
- In-text: (Sutherland 1895)
- Reference list: Sutherland, J 1895, The Mushroom Gatherers [oil on canvas], Box Hill artists’ camp, Melbourne. Viewed 12 Jun. 2023.
Book image you viewed in print
- In-text: Gertsakis’s Their eyes will tell you, everything and nothing (2017) in (Millner & Moore 2018, p. 138)
- Reference list: Millner, J & Moore, C 2018, Art in Australia, Publisher, Place.
Flickr photo
- In-text: (Crazzolara 2018)
- Reference list: Crazzolara, F 2018, Panorama of Austrian mountains [photograph]. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/… [Accessed 8 Jan. 2019].
When a work is in situ (public site), include the location in the entry.
Caption Craft and Placement
- Put the figure number and title above or below the image, as your guide states.
- Place the in-text citation right in the caption or in the sentence that refers to the figure.
- Keep creator, year, and title together to avoid mix-ups in a long appendices section.
Frequently Asked Questions
When citing art in Harvard style:
- Use artist’s last name and year of creation in parentheses.
- Example: (Smith, 2022) for in-text citation.
- In bibliography, include artist, year, title, medium, and location.
- Format: Artist. (Year). Title. Medium. Location: Gallery/Museum.
In the caption or the nearby sentence. Keep the full line in the reference list.
Follow your university policy. Many images are fine for study and review. Always credit the creator to avoid plagiarism issues.
Yes. Keep the format label in square brackets, not in italics.
Cite the YouTube Video or film entry and add a timestamp. If you also cite the still as an image you created, label it as your own photograph and add the parent source in the caption.
Yes. Figure numbers help navigation; the reference list allows retrieval.
