Images and copyright
Keep in mind that images and figures may be protected by copyright and that you may not be allowed to reproduce them in your work. Read more about images and copyright when publishing.
If you don't have permission to reproduce an image or figure you can always refer to it like any other source. The reader will then simply have to find the source to study the picture. If you want to refer to an image without reproducing it in your work you can follow the instructions below for the reference list entry. Just ignore the instructions for the caption, since you will not need one.
Images that are part of another source
Template
In the caption, under the image:
Image/Figure/Table X. Title of the image. From [number of the reference in your work, p. xx], reproduced with permission.
In the reference list:
Full reference to the source.
Examples
In the caption, under the image:
In the reference list:
[2] R. Godelnik and J. van der Meer, "Sustainable Business Models in an Entrepreneurial Environment," in Sustainable business models: Innovation, implementation and success, A. AAgaard, Ed. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, pp. 239–276.
Comments
- "Reproduced with permission" is indicated in the caption to show that you have the permission of the copyright holder to use the image. If you don't have permission, you can't use the image.
- The reference list entry contains a full reference to the source of the image. If you are unsure how to write the reference to the source, please check under the relevant source type in the menu.
- In the caption you use your own numbering of the images. "Figure 1" if it is the first figure in your work, "Figure 2" if it is the second, etc. The number of the reference is indicated in square brackets, so if it is the twelfth unique reference in your work you write [12].
Images from the Web with a CC license
If the license of an image states that attribution is required to use the image you must indicate the copyright holder in the reference list entry. The license is indicated in both the caption and the reference list entry. Most (but not all) images with a Creative Commons license require attribution.
In the example below the image of the puppy is taken from Wikimedia Commons and has a Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 4.0). This license states that the image may be used freely but that attribution is required.
Template
In the caption, under the image:
Image/Figure/Table X. Title of the image. From [Number of the reference in your work], License
In the reference list:
[#] X. Last name/Username, "Title of the image," Year. Accessed: Abbreviated month. Day, Year. [Electronic image]. Available: URL. License
Examples
In the caption, under the image:
Image 1. Cute puppy. From [1], CC BY-SA 4.0
In the reference list:
Comments
- In the caption you use your own numbering of the images. "Figure 1" if it is the first figure in your work, "Figure 2" if it is the second, etc. The number of the reference is indicated in square brackets, so if it is the twelfth unique reference in your work you write [12].
- The date of retrieval should be stated for all electronic sources, in addition to the year of publication. This is written as shown above, with the word "Accessed". The reason for this is that electronic sources may theoretically get edited and the information in them can then change. For this reason it is important to indicate at what time you studied an electronic source.
Images from the Web without license
Template
In the caption, under the image:
Image/Figure/Table X. Title of the image. From [number of the reference in your work], reproduced with permission.
In the reference list:
[#] X. Last name XX/Username, "Title of the image," Year. Accessed: Abbreviated month. Day, Year. [Electronic image]. Available: URL
Examples
In the caption, under the image:
Image 1. Cute puppy. From [1], reproduced with permission.
In the reference list:
Comments
- "Reproduced with permission" is indicated in the caption to show that you have the permission of the copyright holder to use the image. If you don't have permission, you can't use the image.
- In the caption you use your own numbering of the images. "Figure 1" if it is the first figure in your work, "Figure 2" if it is the second, etc. The number of the reference is indicated in square brackets, so if it is the twelfth unique reference in your work you write [12].
- The date of retrieval should be stated for all electronic sources, in addition to the year of publication. This is written as shown above, with the word "Accessed". The reason for this is that electronic sources may theoretically get edited and the information in them can then change. For this reason it is important to indicate at what time you studied an electronic source.