When Images Require Citation in a Malaysian Thesis
Malaysian postgraduate theses in architecture, urban studies, art history, media studies, geography, and environmental science often include photographs, maps, diagrams, and other visual images as evidence or illustration. Any image that you did not create yourself — a photograph from a published source, a map from a government database, a diagram from a journal article — requires citation. Knowing how to cite photographs and images in APA correctly ensures that visual evidence is attributed with the same rigour as textual sources.
The citation format for images in APA 7th depends on where the image was published and who created it. A photograph from a book, a map from a government portal, and an image from a museum collection each follow slightly different citation conventions that share the same underlying logic: identify the creator, the date, the image title, the source, and how to access it.
Citing a Photograph From a Published Source
For a photograph that appeared in a published book, journal, or magazine, the APA 7th format is: Photographer Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title or description of photograph [Photograph]. In A. A. Author (Ed.), Title of book (p. XX). Publisher. DOI or URL.
If the photograph has no formal title, supply a brief descriptive title in square brackets: [Photograph of Penang shophouses, Georgetown]. If you found the image digitally rather than in a print source, include the URL where it can be accessed. For images accessed through stock photography sites or image databases, include the site name and URL rather than a traditional publisher.
Citing Maps and Diagrams
For a map produced by a government agency or research institution: Producing Organisation. (Year). Title of map [Map]. Publisher or Repository. URL. For an image reproduced from a journal article, use the standard journal article citation format but add the [Figure X] or [Photograph] descriptor after the title to identify the image type. In the figure note below the image in your thesis, include a copyright attribution following the APA format for adapted or reprinted figures.
In-Thesis Figure Notes for Reproduced Images
When you reproduce or adapt an image in your thesis, APA 7th requires a figure note below the image that attributes the source. For a reprinted image: Note. From [Title of Work] (p. XX), by A. A. Creator, Year, Publisher. Copyright Year by Name of Copyright Holder. Reprinted with permission. For an adapted image: Note. Adapted from [Title of Work] (p. XX), by A. A. Creator, Year, Publisher. Copyright Year by Name of Copyright Holder. Adapted with permission.
These figure notes serve both citation and copyright compliance purposes. Even for openly licensed images — photographs under Creative Commons licences, for example — include the figure note with the appropriate licence terms rather than assuming open access exempts you from attribution. Knowing how to cite photographs and images in APA correctly, and applying the figure note consistently for every reproduced or adapted visual element, ensures your visual evidence is attributed with the full rigour that scholarly citation requires.
