General Guide

THE LIBRARY
www.salford.ac.uk/library

Referencing Images

Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 1

Referencing Figures
Referencing figures from web sources ............................................................................................ 2
Referencing figures from print sources ............................................................................................ 4
Referencing your own figures .......................................................................................................... 5
Creating a List of Figures ................................................................................................................ 6

Referencing Tables ........................................................................................................................... 7

Referencing tables from web sources ............................................................................................. 8
Referencing tables from print sources ............................................................................................. 8
Referencing tables you have created from other sources ................................................................ 9
Referencing your own tables ........................................................................................................... 9
Creating a List of Tables ............................................................................................................... 11

Further Help ............................................................................................................................................... 12

Introduction

When you are writing an assignment or dissertation you may wish to use images, such as tables,
photographs, diagrams, maps and charts, to illustrate a point or describe what you are writing about.
If you did not create the images yourself, you must acknowledge them as you would in written work.

Illustrations fall into two categories:

Figures Photographs, drawings, diagrams, graphs, flowcharts, maps, etc.
Tables Text and / or numbers arranged in orderly columns and rows.

Every time you use a figure or a table in your writing, it should be referred to three times:

1. In a caption, which includes a number, a title, and its source. The caption is placed below a
figure and above a table. Please see the examples below for further information.

2. In your writing. You should include an in-text citation and a sentence or two about the image
explaining what it illustrates and why it is there.

3. As a reference in your bibliography.

o If you have only used a few images or tables, you may include the references in the same
bibliography (reference list) as your books, journal articles, etc.

o If you are writing a large piece of work, such as your dissertation or thesis, and have used
a lot of illustrative material, you should reference them in a separate List of Figures and/or
List of Tables.

If you are unsure what to do, please speak to your tutor or supervisor.
A note about copyright:
If you are writing a PhD thesis and intend to make it available electronically (for example, on the
University of Salford Institutional Repository, USIR), or are writing anything for publication (e.g. a
book or journal article) you should seek copyright permission from the creators of any illustrative
material that you use. Include a note at the end of your caption (see next page) stating that copyright
permission has been granted, and reference the material fully according to the style appropriate for
your discipline.
As student assignments and taught-course dissertations are not published (or publicly available
like a PhD thesis) it is not necessary to obtain copyright permission, but you still must cite any
illustrative material as a direct quotation and provide full reference details in your Reference List.

Referencing figures from web sources

The following instructions are for images that you have found in various webs sources, such as
webpages, blogs or wikis. You might have saved the image as a file such as a jpg, or taken a
screenshot of it.

If you use an image from an electronic journal or electronic book, treat it as a print source (see page
4).

Caption
The caption is placed directly below the image, and includes the following information:

Number Use italics for the word “Figure” followed by a sequential number (assuming you are
using more than one image).
Title Give the image a brief, descriptive title.
Source The creator or owner of the image and its year of creation, preceded by the word
Source: and enclosed in parentheses.

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In your writing

You should have a sentence just below or above the image, explaining why it is there. This should
mention the figure number and include an in-text citation (as you would for a written quotation).

Example:

Figure 1 is an artist’s impression of what was envisaged for the Clifford Whitworth Library (University
of Salford, 1970).

Note than in your text the word “Figure” is not in italics, but it should have a capital F.
The citation includes the creator of the image and its date, enclosed in parentheses.

In your Reference List

In your Reference List, the above example would look like this:

University of Salford. (1970). Artist's impression of Clifford Whitworth Library [Drawing]. Retrieved
from http://usir.salford.ac.uk/10922/

Format of references

Creator – The creator of the work. Surname, followed by a comma, followed by initial(s). Include full
stops and initials between initials.
o If there is more than one creator put a comma between each name and an ampersand before
the last name.
o If the work has been created by an association or institution, etc., use the organisation’s name
as the author.
o If there is no creator, start the reference with the title of the work.

Year – the year the work was created (if known) enclosed in parentheses and followed by a full stop.
If you don’t know the year, use (n.d.) – no date.

Title – In sentence case and italics.

There are times when the image will not have a title – for example, you may have used a tool such as
Digimap to create a map. If this is the case, give the image a description, plus the medium (e.g. Map)
enclosed in square brackets.

Type of Work – format or medium of the work, enclosed in square brackets, followed by a full stop.

URL – the URL of the source, preceded by the words ‘Retrieved from’. Do not underline the URL.
You do not need to include a retrieval date as the image will not change.

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Reference List examples:
(Please note – you should only follow this format of references if you have only used a couple of
images and are including them in your Reference List (Bibliography). If you are using a List of
Figures, please follow the layout example on page 6.

Aldi, R. G. & Seguin, R. (1998). Production flow chart for distilled spirits manufacturing [Flow chart].
Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/safework_bookshelf/english?content&nd=857170810

Bryant, L. R. (2010). Cane toad [Photograph]. Retrieved from

http://larvalsubjects.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/cane_toad.jpg

Greater Manchester Congestion Charge [Map]. (2008). Retrieved from

http://www.maptube.org/map.aspx?mapid=239

Mombassa, R. (2005). Jesus bottle, Otago [Acrylic on canvas]. Retrieved from

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lo92neEo2T1qjpunzo1_1280.jpg

Ordnance Survey. (2011). [Windgate Edge. Map]. Retrieved from http://edina.ac.uk/digimap/

Schwarz, V. (2010). Wrestling hamsters [Drawing - Coloured Pencil]. Retrieved from

http://vivianeschwarz.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/wrestling-hamsters.html

Tierney, A. (2008). Laser pen usage [Graph]. Retrieved from http://cache.blippitt.com/wp-

content/uploads/2010/10/Graph-7-Laser-Pointer.jpg

University of Salford. (1970). Artist's impression of Clifford Whitworth Library. [Drawing] Retrieved
from http://usir.salford.ac.uk/10922/

Referencing figures from print sources

You may find images in print sources such as book and journals that you scan and use in your work.
If this is the case you should follow the instructions on pages 2 & 3 of this guide, but instead of
having a URL as your source you should provide details of the printed material. Also use these
instructions for images found in e-journals and e-books.

Caption
Follow the instructions on page 2 of this guide.

In your writing
When you use someone else’s illustrative material in your writing you should always treat it as direct
quotation. In your citation, include the page number on which you found the image.

Example:

In Figure 2 (Gauguin, 1887, p.15) we see the bright colours that are typical of artist’s later work.

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Reference List
Treat your image as an item in a book or journal.

o Start your reference with the creator of the work and the year it was created, followed by its
title and medium (as you would for web images (see page 3).
o The second part of your reference is for the work you found it in. Start with the word “In”,
followed by the author or editor of the work, its date, the title, the either the publisher details
(for a book) or journal details (for an image found in a journal).
o For an image found in a journal, use the page number the image was found on, rather than
the whole page range of the article.
o Do not repeat the creators’ names if they are also the authors of the book or article.

Reference List examples

(Please note – you should only follow this format of references if you have only used a couple of
images and are including them in your Reference List (Bibliography). If you are using a List of
Figures, please follow the layout example on page 6.

Brown, K. (2006). Frequency of Bulbil Watsonia before and then one year following treatment with
the herbicide 2,2-DPA [Graph]. In Ecological Management & Restoration, 7(1), p. 69.

Fielding, A., & Haworth, P. F. (2002). Golden eagle distribution map [Map]. In Upland Habitats.
London: Routledge.

Gauguin, P. (1887). At the pond [Oil on canvas]. In I. F. Walther (2004), Paul Gauguin: 1848-1903:
the primitive sophisticate. Koln: Taschen.

Tansley, S. A., & Brown, C. R. (2000). The broad extent of the Cape Floral Kingdom [Diagram]. In
Biological Conservation, 95(1), p. 41.

Referencing your own figures

If you use graphs, diagrams, photographs or other

images in your work that you have created yourself,
you do not need to reference them, but you do still
need to give them a caption and explain why they are
there.

Caption
Give your Figure a number (in italics) and title to
describe it.

In your writing
You should have a sentence just below or above the
image, explaining why it is there. This should mention
the figure number, but, as you have created it yourself,
do not give it an in-text citation.

Example:

…and Figure 2 provides a profile of the candidates’ aspirations, according to their age.
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Reference
Because this is your own illustration, and not one you have found in a published work, do not give it a
reference. However, if you are writing a large assignment such as a dissertation and are using a List
of Figures (see below) you should include the image in the list.

List of Figures example:

Figure 2. Profile of candidates by age group [Graph].

Creating a List of Figures

If you are writing a long assignment, such as your dissertation or thesis, and have used a number of
figures you should reference them in a List of Figures (rather than in your bibliography or reference
list).
o A List of Figures comes at the start of your work, after your Table of Contents.
o List your figures in consecutive order, i.e. in the order they appear in your writing (not
alphabetically as you would in a Reference List).
o Start each item with its number, e.g. Figure 1. Put this in italics.
o Follow the format of the Reference List examples on pages 4 & 5.
o Remember that any images you have created yourself should also be included in the list, but do
not need retrieval details (see above).

“List of Figures” examples:

Figure 1. University of Salford. (1970). Artist's impression of Clifford Whitworth Library. [Drawing]
Retrieved from http://usir.salford.ac.uk/10922/

Figure 2. Gauguin, P. (1887). At the pond [Oil on canvas]. In I. F. Walther (2004), Paul Gauguin:
1848-1903: the primitive sophisticate. Koln: Taschen.

Figure 3. Profile of candidates by age group [Graph].

Figure 4. Fielding, A., & Haworth, P. F. (2002). Golden eagle distribution map [Map]. In Upland
Habitats. London: Routledge.

Figure 5. Bryant, L. R. (2010). Cane toad [Photograph]. Retrieved from

http://larvalsubjects.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/cane_toad.jpg

Figure 6. Tansley, S. A., & Brown, C. R. (2000). The broad extent of the Cape Floral Kingdom
[Diagram]. In Biological Conservation, 95(1), p. 41.

Note: you can either number your figures consecutively (as above), or number them in a multilevel
sequence for each chapter, e.g.
Figure 1.1
Figure 1.2
Figure 2.1

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Referencing Tables

“Tables” refers to text and/or numbers arranged in orderly columns and rows. The treatment of them
is the same as Figures, in that you need to provide a caption for each table, explain in your writing
why you have used it, and acknowledge where you found it.

o If you are writing a long assignment with a number of tables, they should be referenced in a List
of Tables.
o In a shorter assignment, where you might have included only one or two tables, you can
reference them in your bibliography (reference list).

Caption
The caption is placed directly above the table, and includes the following information:

o Number Use italics for the word “Table” followed by a sequential number.
o Title Give the image a brief, descriptive title.
o Source The creator of the table and its year of creation, preceded by the word Source:
and enclosed in parentheses.

In your writing

You should have a sentence just below or above the table, explaining its purpose in the context of
your assignment. This should mention the figure number and include an in-text citation (as you would
for a written quotation).

Example:

Table 1 (University of Salford, 2016) illustrates the breakdown of student numbers by degree and
funding source…

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Referencing tables from web sources
Follow the instructions on page 7 for your caption and citation.

In your Reference List

If you have only used one or two tables in your assignment you can include them in your Reference
List. In this case, the above example would look like this:

University of Salford. (2010). Financial Statements: Year Ending 31 July 2010 [Table] Retrieved from
http://www.salford.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/1013309/n4185-Salford-Uni-financial-review-
v5.pdf

List of Tables
In a longer assignment with a lot of tables you should provide a separate List of Tables. In this case,
the above example would look like this:

Table 1. University of Salford. (2010). Financial Statements: Year Ending 31 July 2010. Retrieved
from http://www.salford.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/1013309/n4185-Salford-Uni-financial-
review-v5.pdf

Note than in a List of Tables you should start the reference with the table number (in italics). You do
not need to include the word [Table] as they are all tables.

Referencing tables from print sources

If you are using a table that you found in a book or journal follow the instructions on page 7 about
captions and in-text citations.
o The entry in your Reference List (bibliography) or List of Tables should include the publisher
details if you have found the table in a book, or the journal details if the table came from a journal
article.
o For a table found in a journal, use the page number the table was found on, rather than the whole
page range of the article.

Reference List examples:

(i.e. for a short assignment)

McCarthy, B., Moscardo, G., Murphy, L., & Pearce, P. (2009). Profile of festivals [Table]. In M. Kozak,
J. Gnoth & L. Andreu (Eds.), Advances in tourism destination marketing: managing networks.
London: Routledge.

Smit, A., Moses, S. G., Pretorius, I. S., & Otero, R. R. C. (2008). Strains and plasmids used in the
study [Table]. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 104(4), p. 1105.

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List of Tables examples:
(i.e. for a long assignment with numerous tables)

Table 2. McCarthy, B., Moscardo, G., Murphy, L., & Pearce, P. (2009). Profile of festivals. In M.
Kozak, J. Gnoth & L. Andreu (Eds.), Advances in tourism destination marketing: managing networks.
London: Routledge.

Table 3. Smit, A., Moses, S. G., Pretorius, I. S., & Otero, R. R. C. (2008). Strains and plasmids used
in the study. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 104(4), p. 1105.

Referencing a table you have created from other sources

If you have used a table which you have created yourself by collating information you have found in
another source or sources, you need to acknowledge the sources you have used. This should be in
the form of a citation within your caption, and an entry in your Reference List.

Caption
The caption is placed directly above the table, and includes a number and descriptive title (see p.7).
Directly below this place a note describing where you found the information. Precede this with the
word Note: in italics, then provide a citation for your information source (see above example).

In your writing

You should have a sentence just below or above the table, explaining why it is there. This should
mention the figure number, but, as you have created it yourself, do not give it an in-text citation.

Example:

…In Table 4 you can see this comparison of population and urbanisation …

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In your Reference List
Do not provide a reference for your table – you have created it yourself and therefore it is not
retrievable (see note below about List of Tables).

Instead, you must reference the source of your data or information. Follow the examples in the APA
6th Guide, available at:
http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning/home/using-and-referencing-information/referencing#quick
for the information source you have use, e.g. book, journal, website, etc.

Example:

Central Intelligence Agency. (2012). The World Factbook. Retrieved 13 June, 2017, from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

List of Tables
If you are writing a longer assignment and providing a separate List of Tables you should include the
table in your list.

Example:

Table 4. Country comparison of population and land.

You must also acknowledge the source of your information in your Reference List – as in the
example above.

Referencing your own tables

If you use tables in your work that you
have created yourself, using your own
information, you do not need to
reference them, but you do still need to
give them a caption and explain why
they are there.

Caption - give your Table a number (in

italics) and a title to describe it.

In your writing
You should have a sentence just below or above the table, explaining why it is there. This should
mention the table number, but, as you have created it yourself, do not give it an in-text citation.

Example:

Table 5 outlines the total distance and …

Reference
Because this is your own table do not give it a reference.
However, if you are using a List of Tables you should include the table in the list.

List of Tables example:

Table 5. Statistics for distance and altitude.

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Creating a List of Tables

If you are writing a long assignment, such as your dissertation or thesis, and have used a number of
tables you should reference them in a List of Tables (rather than in your reference list).
o A List of Tables comes at the start of your work, after your Table of Contents and List of Figures*.
o List your tables in consecutive order, i.e. in the order they appear in your writing (not
alphabetically as you would in a bibliography).
o Start each item with its number, e.g. Table 1. Put this in italics.
o Remember that any tables you have created yourself should also be included in the list, but do
not need retrieval details (see examples on pages 9 and 10).
o You can either number your tables consecutively, or number them in a multilevel sequence for
each chapter, e.g.
Table 1.1
Table 1.2
Table 2.1

“List of Tables” examples:

Table 1. University of Salford. (2010). Financial Statements: Year Ending 31 July 2010 [Table]
Retrieved from http://www.salford.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/1013309/n4185-Salford-Uni-
financial-review-v5.pdf

Table 2. McCarthy, B., Moscardo, G., Murphy, L., & Pearce, P. (2009). Profile of festivals. In M.
Kozak, J. Gnoth & L. Andreu (Eds.), Advances in tourism destination marketing: managing networks.
London: Routledge.

Table 3. Smit, A., Moses, S. G., Pretorius, I. S., & Otero, R. R. C. (2008). Strains and plasmids used
in the study. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 104(4), p. 1105.

Table 4. Country comparison of population and urbanisation.

Table 5. Statistics for distance and altitude.

* Note: If you have only used a few tables, and it makes sense to do so, you may incorporate your
tables into your List of Figures. If you do this make sure they are numbered in one sequence.
Include the word [Table] after the title of each.

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Further Help

Skills for Learning

The Skills for Learning website provides online help, including links to guides, e-Learning and
videos, covering everything you need to know about finding, understanding, using and referencing
information, academic reading and writing, IT, digital skills and much more.
There are also details of workshops and one-to-one appointments available for you to attend.

Skills for Learning is available at:

http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning

or access through the logo on the Student Channel.:

http://www.salford.ac.uk/students

Academic Support Librarians

Your Academic Support Librarian will be able to provide advice about referencing, as well as help
you find and use the best information resources for your course.

To find out who the Librarian is for your subject area, go to:
http://blogs.salford.ac.uk/digital-literacy-skills/subject-support/

Please note: Information contained in this General Guide was correct at the time of publication.
A more recent version may be available at www.salford.ac.uk/library/guides

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