Figures & Tables
This page is for citing all images in text-based assessments (images include, Photographs, Paintings, Drawings, Charts, Diagrams, Graphs, etc. and are hereto referred to as figures.) Any figure you include in your work must be acknowledged and appropriate credit must be given to the creators of the work used.
Tables are structured presentations of data usually organised in columns and rows representing relationships between various data points. When using a table, whether you are copying a table outright from a source or use information to create the table, you must acknowledge all information not created by you in the table itself.
As a student, you are expected to acknowledge the source of any image you did not create - even free images, stock images, and clip art from the internet.
The ownership of figures, and tables are maintained no matter how they're distributed so to work within academic integrity and copyrights you must provide citation and referencing.
When you use a figure or table from another source in your work, it is important to include appropriate citations.
- If you're simply referring to an image or table in your work, then cite the source as you would cite any other type of work, both in-text and in the reference list.
- If you are using data from another source but the table organisation is your own, cite each source as you would cite any other type of work.
- If you are reproducing (copying and including) the image or table in your work, even just a part of it, you must include figure/table notes with an APA Style copyright permission statement (see below), and an end-text reference for the source of the image or table. Some examples are shown in the notes to the figures on the APA Style website.
All sources used to create your figures and tables must be referenced in your end-text reference list.
Coursework vs. Publication
Figure referencing is complex and may not fit all types of publications. The rules here are designed for academic publications and may include more detail than required when doing assessments.
For coursework students please check your assignment instructions or ask your lecturer about their preferences when including and referencing images. See https://ecu.au.libguides.com/referencing/figures-visual-works for alternative image referencing examples.
For HDR researchers and anyone submitting a publication or dissertation/theses you will be required to acquire copyright clearance for any image used if it is not provided under a creative commons or is in the public domain. See Copyright and Permission for Images for more information. You are not able to use the Educational Provision to cover your use of images.
Let us have a look at a figure to identify the components needed to include one in your work in the APA 7th style:
Example:
Figure 18
Detail of a Pendant from a Painting of Margaret of Austria
Note. The pendant symbolises the virtue of the subject. Adapted from Margaret of Austria, by J. Hey, [ca. 1490] (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459072). In the public domain.
To create a figure you need to include 3 parts:
Title of Figure
Figure 18
Detail of a Pendant from a Painting of Margaret of Austria
This goes above the figure. It begins with the word Figure followed by a number starting from 1 numbering the figures in your work. This is presented in Bold. Underneath this include a short title for the image or table in Title Case.
The Figure
Include the required figure underneath the Title.
Caption Note
Under the figure include a caption which includes any additional information needed to understand the image as well as the reference or citation.
The caption is made of 4 components. Some are optional and some may vary depending on where the image came from.
Note. The pendant symbolises the virtue of the subject. Adapted from Margaret of Austria, by J. Hey, [ca. 1490] (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459072). In the public domain.
| Note |
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| Source attribution |
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| Copyright statement |
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| Permission statement |
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Tables can be incorporated in your work in a few different ways:
- Copying an existing table in its entirety with no or minor modifications such as cropping, annotations, or colour correction
- Reproducing an existing table and adding additional data or information to the table
- Creating a table from data or information sourced from other works which were not originally tabulated
- Creating a table based on your own data
If you are:
- Copying an existing table in its entirety with no or minor modifications such as cropping, annotations, or colour correction
- Reproducing an existing table and adding additional data or information to the table
Follow the steps outlined in Referencing a Figure. The difference will be including the title Table # instead of Figure #.
If you are creating a table using data from other sources the composition of the table includes the Title, Table, and Caption. Unlike a figure or copied table the caption will include notes and references to parts of the table either providing the citation for the data or additional details needed to interpret the table.
We'll use this table as our example here:
Table 1
Incoming and Outgoing Data Packages Recorded on Primary Database
Port Incoming Outgoing 00000 (2018) a 56 49 00000 (2021) b 21 20 00004 (2018) c 6 4 00004 (2021) b 6 6 Note. This table shows signal measurements at the time of the incident, and signals measured through those ports during the same time period in 2021.
a Perera et al. (2019, p. 22). b Data from 2021 is self-recorded. c Martin and Choi (2018, p. 39).
Title of Table
Table 1
Incoming and Outgoing Data Packages Recorded on Primary Database
This goes above the table numbering the table from the start of your work. Tables are numbered separately from Figures. Present the Table # in Bold.
Underneath the numbering include a short title for the table in Title Case.
The Table
[goes here]
Caption Note
Underneath the table include a caption. Depending on what you've used to create the table the caption will look different.
In our example we have a self-created table using both data measured and sourced from other publications. This needs to be acknowledged in the caption.
Tables use an alphabetical superscript (a, b, c) above information where there is additional information provided in the caption.
Note. This table shows signal measurements at the time of the incident, and signals measured through those ports during the same time period in 2021.
a Perera et al. (2019, p. 22). b Data from 2021 is self-recorded. c Martin and Choi (2018, p. 39).
| Note |
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| Indexes |
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Here is another example of a table caption but this time with a table fully sourced from a published report.
Note. From Fighting Language Endangerment (p. 138), by T. Stebbins, 2020, La Trobe eBureau. Copyright 2020 by La Trobe University. CC BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
a Here, ts' indicates an ejective affricative phoneme. b Dependency marker -m is added when including a noun in a compound word.
In this caption you can see:
| Note |
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| Source attribution |
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| Copyright statement |
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| Indexes |
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A further explanation (with examples) can be found on the APA style blog: Navigating Copyright: How to Cite Sources in a Table. This blog is written by staff of the American Psychological Association, the body that produced the APA Style Guide. Please note that this blog post was written using a previous version of APA style, so the references will no longer be correct. Use this page as guidance on the concept only.
Source attribution
Here are some basic templates and examples of Source attribution's for images:
| Journal article | From OR Adapted from "Title of Article," by A. A. Author and B. B. Author, year, Title of the Publication, Volume(Issue), p. xx (DOI or URL). |
| Book or Webpage | From OR Adapted from Title of Book / Webpage, by A. A. Author, Year, Publisher / Website Name (DOI or URL). |
| Book Chapter | From OR Adapted from "Title of Chapter," by A. A. Author and B. B. Author, year, In A. A. Editor (Ed.) Title of the Publication, Publisher, p. xx (DOI or URL). |
| Stock Images | From OR Adapted from Title of image by A. A. Photographer, year, Platform of stock image (URL). |
| Clip Art | From OR Adapted from [Image description], n.d., Platform of clip art (URL). |
Source |
Label and Notes |
In-text and End-text References |
Figure (image) from a book (reproduced, under fair dealing) |
Figure 23 Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" [image] Note. From Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali and the Artists of Optical Illusion (p. 362), by A. Seckel, 2004, Sterling Publishing. Copyright 2004 by Al Seckel. Used under Fair Dealing provision. |
In-text
One example of this effect is Figure 23.
End-text reference
Seckel, A. (2004). Masters of deception: Escher, Dali and the artists of optical illusion. Sterling Publishing.
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Figure from a webpage (reproduced, Creative Commons license) |
Figure 2 Yellow-Bellied Marmot Pups [image] Note. Photograph showing immature marmots. From Yellow-Bellied Marmot Pups [Photograph], by P. Vern, 2007, Wikimedia Commons (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow-bellied_Marmot_pups_-_Kamloops,_BC..jpg). CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en). |
In-text
Examining Figure 2, we can see...
End-text reference
Vern, P. (2007). Yellow-bellied marmot pups [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yellow-bellied_Marmot_pups_-_Kamloops,_BC..jpg
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Figure from a webpage (adapted, no longer under copyright) |
Figure 18 Detail of a Pendant in a Fifteenth Century Painting [image] Note. The pendant is intended to signify the virtue of the subject. Detail cropped from a larger image. From Margaret of Austria, by J. Hey, [ca. 1490] (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459072). In the public domain.
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In-text
Figure 18 shows one such visual symbol of a concept...
End-text reference
Hey, J. [ca. 1490]. Margaret of Austria [Painting]. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/459072
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Table from a journal (adapted, no permission needed) |
Table 12 Effects of Sleep Deprivation on New Item Recognition [table] Note. Adapted from "The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Item and Associative Recognition Memory," by R. Ratcliff and H. P. A. Van Dongen, 2018, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44(2), p. 196. Copyright 2018 by the American Psychological Association. a Reflects the percentage of participants who answered "no" to this question. |
In-text
Sleep deprivation has been associated with an effect on recognition of new stimuli, as shown in Table 12.
End-text reference
Ratcliff, R., & Van Dongen, H. P. A. (2018). The effects of sleep deprivation on item and associative recognition memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 44(2), 193-208. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000452
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