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.
Images that are part of another source
Template
In the caption, under the image:
Image/Figure/Table X. Title of the image [number of the reference in your work], with permission.
In the reference list:
Full reference to the source. Image/Figure/Table number, Title of the image; p. X.
Examples
In the caption, under the image:
In the reference list:
2. Godelnik R, van der Meer J. Sustainable Business Models in an Entrepreneurial Environment. In: AAgaard A, editor. Sustainable business models: Innovation, implementation and success. London: Palgrave Macmillan; 2019. p. 239–76. Figure 9.1, SBM in startups at the intersection of SBM and SE; p. 242.
Comments
- "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, followed by infomation on the image in question. If you are unsure how to write the reference to the source, please check under the relevant source type in the menu. The example below is a reference to a figure in a journal article:
1. Quadra GR, Paranaíba JR, Vilas-Boas J, Roland F, Amado AM, Barros N, et al. A global trend of caffeine consumption over time and related-environmental impacts. Environmental Pollution. 2020;256(1):113343. Figure 4, Average coffee consumption from 1990 to 2016 by country; p. 4.
The beginning of the reference list entry is an ordinary reference to a journal article. The following part (here marked in bold) specifies that it is a figure in the article that we are referencing, and which one.
- 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]. In the reference list entry you always use the title and numbering used in the source.
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 [number of the reference in your work]. License
In the reference list:
Last name XX/Username. Title of the image [image/photo on the Internet]. Year [cited year month day]. Available: URL. License
Examples
In the caption, under the image:
Image 1. Cute puppy [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]. In the reference list entry you always use the title and numbering used in the source.
- The date of retrieval should be stated for all electronic sources, in addition to the year of publication. This is written as shown above, in square brackets with the word "cited". 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 [number of the reference in your work], with permission.
In the reference list:
Last name XX/Username. Title of the image [image/photo on the Internet]. Year [cited year month day]. Available: URL.
Examples
In the caption, under the image:
Image 1. Cute puppy [1], with permission.
In the reference list:
Comments
- "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]. In the reference list entry you always use the title and numbering used in the source.
- The date of retrieval should be stated for all electronic sources, in addition to the year of publication. This is written as shown above, in square brackets with the word "cited". 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.