In APA referencing:

• Figures: are any image, graph, chart, photograph, drawing, illustration or visual display displayed in your paper that is not a table.
• Tables: show numerical values or textual information arranged in columns and rows. 

Required elements:

Every figure or table needs:

1. Figure or Table number (in bold): Figure 1 or Table 1, numbered consecutively
2. Title (italics, title case): One double-spaced line below the number
3. The image or table itself
4. Note (if needed): Figure notes contain information needed to clarify the contents of the figure for readers. Under the image or table, begin with the word 'Note.'.  Include copyright attribution and source information here. The content in the note is double spaced and aligned left.  

In-text citations

Do not write "the table above" (or "below") in your text. Always refer to figures and tables by number in your text:

• "As shown in Table 3 …"
• "(see Figures 4 and 7)."
• "Table 2 illustrates …"

Note: If you refer to a figure or table from a source but do not reproduce it in your document, use a standard in-text citation including the page number where the figure/table appears (e.g., "The diagram in Smith (2020, p. 45) shows …"). Include the full reference in your reference list as usual as per the source type. No figure number or copyright note is needed when you are only referring to, not reproducing, the visual content.

Click on each of the elements below to learn about including figures and tables in your work.

Text version

For presentations and videos

• Figure/table numbers, titles, and notes are optional
• You can include the full reference for the item on each slide or in a reference list at the end
• Consult your lecturer or supervisor for specific guidance

Copyright considerations

• If a figure or table is being reproduced for inclusion in a work that is being published (for example, as a journal article, book or thesis), you must seek permission from the copyright holder. Include a permission statement (Reprinted or Adapted with permission) in the note under the image only if you have sought and obtained permission to reproduce or adapt the copyrighted material. 

See Tables and Figures on the APA Style Blog for more information.

No reference list entry or copyright note is needed for:

• Clip art/stock images labeled "no attribution required"
• Public domain images (e.g. with a CC0 license)
• Stock images freely available in Microsoft Office
• Your own original photographs, figures, graphs, artwork or images

Example: Figure not requiring attribution

Figure 1

Example of Stimuli Used in Experiment 1

Note. Participants assigned to the study were shown various images of cats, including this one.

Notes

• If the image, chart or table requires an explanation or description other than the figure title, you may wish to include this in the figure note (see example above).
• For figures you created yourself, you can optionally state this in the figure note (e.g., "Note. Figure created by author."; or "Note. Own work." ).
• If you cite a previously published self-created image which has since been published again in book, journal article etc. copyright may now reside with the publisher, and permission need to be sought to use the image again.
• For more information, see the APA Style Blog: Clip art or stock images references.

When reproducing a figure or table from another source, you need to cite it in the following two locations:

1. Figure/Table Note
2. Reference list.

1. Figure/Table Note

The content of the figure/table note depends on the source type. Use "From" for reproduced content or "Adapted from" for modified content. 

Article

Book

Chapter from edited book

Image from website - where the image has an identified creator or artist

Image from website - where there is no identified creator or artist for the image

Table from website

2. Reference list

Provide the full APA citation for the source of the figure or table, using the standard format for that source type (article, book, chapter from edited book, website etc.).

Exceptions

• When an image sourced via the web has an identified creator, cite the image title and creator in both the figure note and reference list. When no creator is identified, cite the webpage/document title and website author/organisation in both locations.
• For AI Generated images, no reference list entry is required. Acknowledge the source in the figure note only. 

When incorporating figures and tables from external sources into your work, you must provide appropriate attribution. The format varies depending on the source type. Select the relevant category below for specific guidance.