A figure is a photo, image, map, graph, or chart inserted into your research paper.
A table is a table of information inserted into your research paper.
For more information on citing figures and tables in MLA, see Purdue OWL.
Need help captioning or citing images outside of the academic context?
Check out Fair Use: Using Images for information on how to caption someone else's image on your own website.
Generic Image Credit Format:
"Title" by A. Creator, via source (photo attribution).
Examples:
"Mt. Fuji" by Yayoi Kusama, via Art + Auction vol. 34, no. 4, Nov. 2010.
Skirt by Annakiki, via WGSN.
"Angel's Flight" by Millard Sheets, via LACMA.
Beatrice Took a Photo! by mstornadox, via Tumblr.
Six Apple logos from 1976 to now, via Rob Janoff (© RobJanoff 2012).
Man stretching, via Sports Digest, 8 May 2006.
Zaha Hadid's notebooks, via "Zaha Hadid" (photo Luke Hayes).
Reproducing Figures and Tables
Reproducing happens when you copy or recreate a photo, image, chart, graph, or table that is not your original creation. If you reproduce one of these works in your assignment, you must create a note (or "caption") underneath the photo, image, chart, graph, or table to show where you found it. If you do not refer to it anywhere else in your assignment, you do not have to include the citation for this source in a Works Cited list.
When to Add to the Works Cited List
If the image appears in your paper and the full citation appears in the caption, it does not need to be included in the Works Cited List. If the full caption is not included in the figure's caption, include an entry in the Works Cited List.
If you are referring to an image but not including it in your paper, you must provide an in-text citation and include an entry in the Works Cited List.
Source
If you have trouble finding specific information about an image, cite the entire book, magazine article, web site, etc. where you found it. For example if information came from a table in an article in National Geographic magazine, you would cite the entire magazine article and add the relevant page number to the caption or in-text citation.
Figure and Table Numbers
The word figure should be abbreviated to Fig. Each figure should be assigned a figure number, starting with number 1 for the first figure used in the assignment. For example, Fig. 1.
Do not abbreviate the word table. Each Table should be assigned a table number, starting with number 1 for the first table used in the assignment. For example, Table 1
Title
Images may not have a set title. If this is the case give a description of the image where you would normally put the title. Do not italicize or put this description in quotes.
Creator or Company or Brand. Short Description from "Title of Report." Report by Author's First Name Last Name, Date of Publication. WGSN.
For captions, use: Fig. #. Description of figure: from Citation.
For in-text citations, use (Fig. #) or (Creator's Last Name)
Works Cited Example |
Annakiki. Skirt. "Short Skirt S/S 15 China Womenswear Commercial Update." 4 June 2016. WGSN. Note: If there is no formal title, add a description without quotes or italization. |
Caption Example |
Fig. 2. Skirt by Annakiki from: "Short Skirt S/S 15 China Womenswear Commercial Update," 4 June 2016. WGSN. Note: If the citation is included in the caption, you do not need to add it to the Works Cited list. |
In-Text Citation Example |
(Fig. 2) or (Annakiki) |
Note: While MLA 8th edition recommends including URLs, they can be left out when citing a work found in a library database. Accessed date is also optional.
Creator's Last Name, First Name (Username). "Title of Digital Image." Title of Website, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher/Platform, Date of Publication, URL. Accessed date.
For captions, use: Fig. #. Description from: Citation.
For in-text citations, use (Fig. #) or (Creator's Last Name)
Works Cited Example |
mstornadox. "Beatrice Took a Photo." Yoyodyne Industries, Tumblr, 5 Nov. 2014, mstornadox.tumblr.com/post/101904587855/beatrice-took-a-photo. Accessed 9 Nov. 2017. Note: The username was used in place of the real name. |
Caption Example |
Fig. 4. Cat selfie from: mstornadox "Beatrice Took a Photo." Yoyodyne Industries, Tumblr, 5 Nov. 2014, mstornadox.tumblr.com/post/101904587855/beatrice-took-a-photo. Accessed 9 Nov. 2017. Note: If the citation is included in the caption, you do not need to add it to the Works Cited list. |
In-Text Citation Example |
(Fig. 4) or (mstornadox) |
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Website, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher/Platform, Date of Publication, URL. Accessed date.
For captions, use: Fig. #. Description from: Citation.
For in-text citations, use (Fig. #) or (Author's Last Name) or ("Words from Title or Article").
Works Cited Example |
"It All Started with a Fruit." Rob Janoff, contributions by www.fansofapple.com, robjanoff.com/applelogo/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017. |
Caption Example |
Fig. 5. Six Apple logos from 1976 to now from: "It All Started with a Fruit." Rob Janoff, contributions by www.fansofapple.com, robjanoff.com/applelogo/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2017. Note: If the citation is included in the caption, you do not need to add it to the Works Cited list. |
In-Text Citation Example |
(Fig. 5) or ("It All Started With a Fruit") |
If you are citing an image from a source already included on your Works Cited list, you do not need to list it again. Instead, use the appropriate in-text citation and add the specific page number, when available.
For captions, use: Fig. #. Description (Author's Last Name Page Number) or ("Title of Article" Page Number).
For in-text citations, use (Fig. #) or (Author's Last Name Page Number) or ("Title of Article" Page Number)
Works Cited Example |
Martin, Colin. "Zaha Hadid: "... No End to Experimentation." Architecture New Zealand, no. 2, Mar/Apr2017, pp. 88-92. Art & Architecture Source. |
Caption Example |
Fig. 7. Zaha Hadid's notebooks (Martin 91). |
In-Text Citation Example |
(Fig. 7) or (Martin 91) |
Articles: Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Date of Publication, p. Page Numbers.
Books: Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book, Edition, Publisher, Year of Publication.
For captions, use: Fig. #. Description from: Citation.
For in-text citations, use (Fig. #) or (Author's Last Name Page Number) or ("Title of Article" Page Number)
Works Cited Example |
Green, Annie. "Yoga: Stretching Out." Sports Digest, 8 May 2006, p. 22. |
Caption Example |
Fig. 6. Man exercising from: Green, Annie. "Yoga: Stretching Out." Sports Digest, 8 May 2006, p. 22. Note: If the citation is included in the caption, you do not need to add it to the Works Cited list. |
In-Text Citation Example |
(Fig. 6) or (Green 22) |
Table #
Label/description
<TABLE GOES HERE>
Source: Citation.
For in-text citations, use (Table #)
Works Cited Example |
Mohr, Andrea. "Family Variables Associated With Peer Victimization." Swiss Journal of Psychology, vol. 65, no. 2, 2006, pp. 107-116, Psychology Collection, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185.65.2.107. |
Example: |
Table 1 Variables in determining victims and aggressors Source: Mohr, Andrea. "Family Variables Associated With Peer Victimization." Swiss Journal of Psychology, vol. 65, no. 2, 2006, pp. 107-116, Psychology Collection, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185.65.2.107. Note: If the full citation is included in the source caption, you do not need to add it to the Works Cited list. |
In-Text Citation Example |
(Table 1) |
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