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Learning Commons
APA style does not give explicit instructions for crediting images that are reproduced in a print nor online work. The information presented here is only a suggestion. If you are unsure of how to credit or reference an image, please consult your instructor.
Though finding images using a search engine such as Google and Bing can be fairly quick, you must still keep researching to find the original owner of the image whether it be a photo, drawing, comic, sound bite, or other media. You cannot cite an image that you find on Google or Bing because those are search engines, not websites.
For images used under a Creative Commons License, give the URL of the specific license -- there are many different licenses each providing different levels of permissions. Please read about each of them carefully.
Figure 2. Three sisters fernie. By John Johnston, 2007, (Flickr), via Wikimedia Commons. Used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.
If the image is being used online or in a PowerPoint presentation, the hyperlinks may be anchored by the text:
Figure 2. Three sisters fernie. John Johnston, 2007, (Flickr), via Wikimedia Commons. Used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
The corresponding reference would be:
Johnson, J. (Photographer). (2007). Three sister fernie [digital image].
Wikimedia Commons website: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AThree_sisters_fernie.jpg
Be sure to format reference as required: double space and hanging indentation.
The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University offers an online resource which can be used in some cases. However, it does not include everything required for citing sources in one place.
The APA citation style does not cover Canadian government sources, and has only a limited section on American government resources.
Please refer to the staff at the Library Reference Desk for clarification when citing Canadian government sources.