Gender Studies 104: Bodies

The following is a list of basic information you might need to cite an image:

• Creator name
• Title of the work
• Date work was created
• Source (URL and date of access)
• Format
• Image ID number

If you find an image in a book you will need the author, title, publisher information, date, and page, figure or plate number of the reproduction.

Additional information may be needed for works of art.  Remember to always refer to specific style manuals for complete information and consult the terms & conditions of image databases used to locate images since database licenses may specify required caption information.

You can also refer to the Image Workstation Help from Reed College and the Finding Images guide from Boston College for more information and examples on citing images.

Consult your Style guide for information about caption formats.

See: Image Resources: Captions, Citations, Examples, for guidance on the distinction between captions and citations, examples with unusual or unknown elements, and links to additional resources.

Also see: the Reed College Image Workstation Help, which provides the following guidance (and more:)

MLA Handbook - Captions

• Images should be labeled Figure (usually abbreviated Fig.), assigned an Arabic numeral, and given a caption.
• The caption should appear directly below the image.
• Image captions should always include image creator's first name, last name (if available), title, work date, and the source of the image.
• For a more descriptive caption, it is acceptable to include a description of materials, measurements, the institution or individual who owns the work, and the location of the institution.
• Note whether the image came from a print, electronic, or other source and cite appropriately.

Print Source Caption Example
Fig. 4. Frank Duveneck, Portrait of Maggie Wilson, Oil on board, 38.10 x 30.48 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; Unsuspected Genius: the Art and Life of Frank Duveneck, by Robert Neuhaus  (San Francisco: Bedford Press, 1987) 227.

Electronic Source Caption Example
Fig. 9. Amasis Painter, Lekythos; Women Weaving, 17.15 cm height, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Accessed Jan. 12, 2007 from the Reed College CONTENTdm database <http://cdm.reed.edu/u?/vrcwork,38536>.

Other Source Caption Example
Fig. 13. Columbia River at Dawn. Personal photograph by author. 13 March 2008.

Use a citation machine to quickly cite a source you are using.