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Reprinted or adapted tables, images and other figures

The APA defines a figure as any visual element that is not a table, including photographs, drawings, plans, maps, illustrations, infographics and graphs. This guide explains how to cite a table or figure in your APA Style paper that was copied or adapted from another author's work. It includes elements of both APA Referencing and APA Style paper formatting requirements. If you are not a psychology student, check with your educator about the need to follow APA paper formatting rules.

Psychology students do not need to use APA paper formatting rules for presentations unless a copyright attribution is required. If needed, add a note as a caption under the visual element.

Tables and figures that you create yourself do not require a copyright attribution and reference list entry but may require an explanatory note. Refer to the APA's sample figures page and the Student Paper Setup Guide for more information. 

Formatting a copyright attribution

If you include a reprinted or adapted table or figure in your work, you must include a general note below the element (in-text citations are not used for figures) and a reference list entry. Reference list entries follow the standard format according to the source of the figure, e.g. journal article, book, website, etc. 

It is essential to include a copyright attribution as well as a copyright statement (examples below) at the end of the general note that acknowledges the author/creator of the figure. The copyright attribution is formatted differently to a reference list citation. The format of the copyright attribution depends on the source the visual element was taken from. Please refer to the copyright attribution examples provided for different sources:

Examples of copyright statements

The copyright statement added to the end of the general note depends on the way the work is licensed.

  • Use the Copyright year by Name of Copyright Holder if the work is commercially licensed. 
  • Use Reprinted with permission or Adapted with permission after the Copyright year by Name of Copyright Holder if permission is required and was provided in writing by the copyright holder.
  • Use CC License if Creative Commons licensed.
  • Use In the public domain if the copyright has expired. When copyright expires, it falls into the 'public domain' and can be freely used.

Style notes

The following sources have been used to create this guide.

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style (7th ed.). https://librarysearch.bond.edu.au/permalink/61BOND_INST/mduq7h/alma9930524692302381 

  • See Chapter 12 - Publication Process, Copyright and Permission Guidelines 12.14 to 12.18, pp. 384 - 392 

American Psychological Association. (2020). Clip art or stock image references. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/clip-art-references