How to Cite in APA Style (7th Edition)

Figures, tables or images not originally created by you (the author) should be acknowledged, along with the rights in a note under the image, and then in the reference list at the end.

Example 1

Reference List

Coghlan, M. (2014). Uni Apartments on the Coast [photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikecogh/13964342460/.

Example 2.

Figure 1.

Note: Images of Hong Kong's rapid development and extraordinary natural beauty helped lay the foundation of the tourism industry in the 1960s. Fly Pan Am to Hong Kong. 1965. (c) The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, https://lbezone.hkust.edu.hk/bib/991013160821003412

Reference List

Pan Am Corporation [?]. (1965). Fly Pan Am to Hong Kong [image of poster]. HKUST Library, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Rare and Special e-Zone https://lbezone.hkust.edu.hk/bib/991013160821003412.

The APA Style blog explains more about how to cite clip art.

Format:

Director, A. A. (Director). (Year). Title of work [Description]. Production Company.

Example:

Docter, P. H. (Director). (2015). Inside Out [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures; Pixar Animation Studios.

• If two or more production companies are listed, include all of them, separated by semicolons (Section 9.29).
• More details: Film and Television References, Chapter 10 - Examples 84 & 85

Format:

Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Description]. Hosting platform. URL

Example:

HKUST Library. (2021, August 27). UV Book Sterilizers on LG3 & LG4 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/NNRH4D7QJw4

• The person who posted the video is put in the author position. On YouTube and many other video-posting websites, users must post under a screen name. This screen name is integral to finding the video on YouTube, so including it in the reference is important. Include both the author name and screen name when both elements are available.
• If the author name is not available, include only the screen name, without brackets.
• More details: YouTube Video References, Chapter 10 - Example 90

Facebook post

Format:

Author, A. A. / Group name. (Year, Month Day). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Description of audiovisuals]. Site name. URL

Example:

Library@HKUST. (2022, August 2). Library Database – Kanopy. Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video service, covers thousands of award-winning documentaries, world cinema, and theatrical releases. [Image attached]. Facebook. https://bit.ly/3RfmJGd

• Provide the first 20 words of the post as the title. Count a URL or other link, a hashtag, or an emoji as one word each, and include them in the reference if they fall within the first 20 words. Do not italicize emojis.
• Replicate emojis, if possible. If it can't be replicated, provide the emoji's name in square brackets, for example, [smiling face with smiling eyes] for 😊. For emoji names, visit https://emojipedia.org/.
• If the URL is long or complex, you can use a URL shortening services (e.g. bit.ly) and provide the shortened URL instead (Section 9.36).

Facebook page

Format:

Author, A. A. / Group name. (Year, Month Day). Page title [Facebook page]. Site name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

Example:

Library@HKUST. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved August 29. 2022, from https://www.facebook.com/hkust.library

• Facebook page are designed to change over time, so remember to include a retrieval date (Section 9.16).

More details: Facebook References, Chapter 10 - Examples 105 & 106

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Blog name. URL

Example:

Lee, C. (2021, March 8). “I found it online”: Citing online works in APA Style. APA Style Blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/citing-online-works

More details: Blog Post and Blog Comment References, Chapter 10 - Example 17

Format:

Host, A. A. (Host). (Date). Title of episode [Audio podcast]. In Title of podcast. Production Company. URL

• List either the host or the executive producers, include their role in parentheses.

Example:

Vedantam, S. (Host) (2022, August 2). You 2.0: Befriending Your Inner Voice [Audio podcast]. In Hidden Brain. Hidden Brain Media. https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/you-2-0-befriending-your-inner-voice/

More details: Podcast References, Chapter 10 - Examples 93 & 94

APA style

Guideline from APA

• APA Style blog How to cite ChatGPT (updated Feb 23, 2024), and their replies in the Comment section
• APA Journals policy on generative AI - Additional guidance (updated in Aug 2025) 

General Advice

• Ensure you have the rights to use and reproduce the images.
• Clearly disclose the use of AI-generated images or figures in your work. 
• How to disclose: In the section where visual content appears (e.g. Results), include prompts, tools, and preserve output. 
• To create the reference, follow the principles of citing AI-generated text to determine the author, date, title, and source elements for the tool.

Basic Format

• Cite the image (in caption): 

For reference format of citing figures or images in general, you may also refer to APA guidelines on citing Clip Art or Stock Image References, Artwork references, and Sample figures.

• Cite the AI model:

Example