Knowing how to cite a figure, table, or chart is essential whenever you borrow visual data from another source, because images and tables carry the same intellectual property rights as written text. Students often paste a graph or table into a paper and forget that it needs full attribution, which can lead to plagiarism even when the surrounding writing is original. This guide explains how APA, MLA, and Chicago handle reproduced and adapted visuals, how to build the figure number, title, and source note, and how to refer to the figure in your text. If you are working with standalone photographs or artwork rather than data displays, see the companion guide on how to cite an image.
Reproducing vs adapting a figure or table
Before you write anything, decide whether you are reproducing or adapting the visual. This distinction drives the wording of your source note in every style.
- Reproducing means you copy the figure or table exactly as it appears in the original source, with no changes. The note begins with “From” in APA, or simply credits the source in MLA and Chicago.
- Adapting means you alter the original in some way: you redraw a chart, combine data from two tables, change labels, or select only part of the figure. The note begins with “Adapted from.”
Both cases require permission and a copyright statement when the work is protected and you are publishing or distributing your paper widely. For a course assignment, attribution alone is usually sufficient, but you should still credit the source as if for publication so that your habits stay clean. Either way, the visual must also appear in your reference list or works cited because the note is not a substitute for the full entry.
How to cite a figure in APA
In APA 7, “figure” covers any visual that is not a table: charts, graphs, photographs, diagrams, and maps. Place the figure number in bold above the figure (Figure 1), then the figure title in italic title case on the next line, then the image, then a Note below it. The Note carries the credit line. Use “From” for a reproduced figure and “Adapted from” for a changed one, followed by the full source and a copyright statement.
Figure 1
Global Surface Temperature Anomalies, 1880 to 2020
[figure]
Note. From “Long-Term Climate Trends,” by R. Alvarez, 2021, Journal of Climate Science, 14(3), p. 212 (https://doi.org/10.1037/clim0000123). Copyright 2021 by the American Climate Association.
In-text: As shown in Figure 1, anomalies rose sharply after 1980.
Tables follow the same logic but use “Table 1” in bold above the table and a Note beneath. The reference-list entry for the source is a normal entry for whatever the source is, a journal article, book, or report. You can build that source entry quickly with the APA citation generator and then paste the credit details into your Note. For broader formatting rules, the APA format guide covers margins, headings, and reference layout.
Table 2
Mean Reading Scores by Grade Level
[table]
Note. Adapted from Literacy in Early Education (p. 88), by M. Chen, 2019, Oxford University Press. Copyright 2019 by Oxford University Press.
In-text: Reading scores climbed steadily across grades (see Table 2).
How to cite a figure or table in MLA
MLA 9 handles visuals through a caption placed directly below the figure. Label the visual “Fig. 1” for any image, chart, or graph, give a caption, and then provide the full source information in the caption itself. If the caption already gives complete source details, you do not need a separate works-cited entry, although many instructors prefer that you include one anyway. Tables are labeled “Table 1” with the label and a title placed above the table and the source note below it.
Fig. 1. Global surface temperature anomalies from 1880 to 2020. Rosa Alvarez, “Long-Term Climate Trends,” Journal of Climate Science, vol. 14, no. 3, 2021, p. 212.
In-text: The warming trend accelerates after 1980 (see fig. 1).
Notice that MLA uses title case but keeps all prepositions lowercase regardless of length, and it omits the https:// from any URL. When you do add a separate works-cited entry, format it like a normal source for that medium. The MLA citation generator will assemble the container, volume, and page details correctly, and the MLA format guide shows where labels and captions sit on the page.
Table 2
Mean Reading Scores by Grade Level
[table]
Source: Adapted from Mei Chen, Literacy in Early Education, Oxford UP, 2019, p. 88.
In-text: Scores rise across each grade (see table 2).
How to cite a figure or table in Chicago
Chicago style places a figure caption below the image, starting with “Figure 1” or “Fig. 1,” followed by a caption and a source line. Tables carry a number and title above the table and a source note below. In notes-bibliography style you give the credit in the source line and also include the work in your bibliography. Use “Adapted from” when you have altered the original. The Chicago style guide walks through the difference between the note and bibliography forms.
Figure 1. Global surface temperature anomalies, 1880 to 2020. Source: Rosa Alvarez, “Long-Term Climate Trends,” Journal of Climate Science 14, no. 3 (2021): 212.
In-text: Temperatures climb steeply after 1980 (see fig. 1).
Table 2. Mean reading scores by grade level. Source: Adapted from Mei Chen, Literacy in Early Education (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019), 88.
In-text: Reading ability grows across grades (see table 2).
You can prepare the underlying book or article entry with the Chicago citation generator and then trim it into the source line that sits under your figure.
Referring to a figure or table in your text
Every visual you include must be mentioned in the body of your paper before it appears. Refer to it by its number, not by phrases like “the figure below,” because layout can shift during formatting. APA capitalizes the word when naming a specific item (Figure 1, Table 2), while MLA and Chicago lowercase the in-sentence reference (see fig. 1, see table 2). Number figures and tables in separate sequences in the order they first appear. This cross-referencing is closely related to standard in-text citations, since the figure number works like a pointer that ties your discussion to the visual evidence.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting the source entry. The figure note credits the source, but you still need a full entry in your reference list or works cited unless the caption already contains everything MLA requires.
- Using “From” when you changed the figure. If you redrew a chart or merged data, the correct lead-in is “Adapted from.”
- Dropping the copyright statement. APA notes for reproduced and adapted visuals should end with a copyright line when the source is protected.
- Mixing up figures and tables. Tables present data in rows and columns; everything else is a figure. Number them in separate series.
- Skipping the in-text reference. A floating figure with no mention in the prose looks like decoration rather than evidence.
- Adding https:// in MLA. MLA 9 omits the protocol from URLs and DOIs.
Final tips
Treat a borrowed figure, table, or chart with the same care you give a direct quotation: identify the source, signal whether you copied or adapted it, and point your reader to it by number. Getting the note right is the part most people miss, so double-check the “From” versus “Adapted from” wording and confirm that the source also appears in your bibliography. If your visual is actually a photograph or piece of artwork, follow the dedicated guidance on how to cite an image, and if you are still deciding which system to use, the overview of citation styles explained can help you choose. With the structure above and a quick pass through the matching citation generator, your figures and tables will be fully credited and plagiarism-safe.