Sometimes you may need to cite certain charts from other sources when writing a research article. This kind of citation is allowed if you cite the source. To do this, you should note the citation below the graph. The form of the citation depends on the citation style used in your field. The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is used by academics in English Literature and some areas of the humanities while academics in psychology, social science, and the exact sciences often use the American Psychological Association (APA) style. Some humanities and social science specialists, including historians, use the Chicago/Turabian style, and those in engineering use the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) citation style. Check with your professor or teacher before writing an article so you know what kind of style you should use.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Citing Using MLA Style
Step 1. Mention the graphic in the body of the article
When you mention graphics in the body of the article, use “image X” or “picture X” in parentheses. Use Arabic numerals and don't use capital letters to write "picture" or "picture."
For example, you might graph your tomato consumption in this way: “Due to the increasing popularity of salsa and sauces, the consumption of tomatoes in America has increased sharply in recent years (see fig.1).”
Step 2. Place the caption under the graphic
Graphs or charts taken from other sources should be labeled “Figure X” or “Figure X” below them. Write the first letter in capital letters for the description of the image.
- Images must be numbered in the order in which they appear; the first graphic or illustration that appears is called “Fig.1”, the second picture is called “Fig.2”, and so on.
- Do not italicize “Image” or “Picture” or image number.
Step 3. Provide a brief description
This description should provide a clear and concise description of the data represented by the graph.
For example, “Fig. 1. Increase in consumption of tomatoes in the United States, 1970-2000…”
Step 4. State the author's name
Keep in mind that, unlike MLA bibliographies, you must start with the author's first name: "John Green" not "Green, John". If the author is an institution, such as the USDA, write the name of the institution. You need to add the words “Graph taken from” if the graphic is not yours.
“Gamb. 1. Increase in tomato consumption in the United States, 1970-2000. Graphics taken from John Green…”
Step 5. Write the title of the book or other source
The title must be italicized. Write after the comma after the author's name: "John Green, Growing Vegetables in the Backyard …"
Italicize the website title, such as: Graph taken from “State Fact Sheets…”
Step 6. Enter the book's publication location, publisher name, and year of publication in parentheses
Follow the pattern “(location: publisher name, year published): example (Hot Springs: Lake Publishers, 2002). After the closing parenthesis, put a comma."
- “Fig. 1. Increase in tomato consumption in the United States, 1970-2000. Graphic taken from John Green, Growing Vegetables in the Backyard, (Hot Springs: Lake Publishers, 2002)."
- If the graphic is taken from an online source, follow the MLA guidelines for citing online sources: write the name of the website, publisher, date of publication, media, date of access, and page (if applicable, write “n.pag”).
- For example, if your chart was taken from the USDA website, your quote should be: “Fig.1. Increase in tomato consumption in the United States, 1970-2000. The graph is taken from the State Fact Sheet. USDA. Jan 1, 2015. n.pag.”
Step 7. Close with page number and source format
Put a period after the page number then write the format of the book (e.g., “print,” or “electronic book,” etc.) Now you're done! Your full quote should look something like:
- "Fig. 1. Increase in tomato consumption in the United States, 1970-2000. Graph taken from John Green, Growing Vegetables in Backyards, (Hot Springs: Lake Publishers, 2002), 43. Print."
- If you provide full citation information in the description, there is no need to add it on the reference page.
Method 2 of 4: Quoting Using APA Style
Step 1. Mention the image in the body of the article
Do not include images that you did not mention in the body of the article. Always name by image number, not “image above” or “image below.”
For example, you might write: “As the data shows in Figure 1, tomato consumption has increased sharply in the last three decades.”
Step 2. Place the quote below the graph
Label it “Image X” and type in italics.
- Images must be numbered in the order in which they appear; the first graphic or illustration that appears is called “Figure 1”, the second image is called “Figure 2”, and so on.
- If the chart has a title, write it like normal sentences. This means that you only capitalize the first letter of the first word and the first letter after the comma.
Step 3. Give a short description
This description, or legend, informs the content of the graphic. Make sure you provide enough information to describe your chart. End the description with a period.
- Example: Figure 1. Increase in tomato consumption, 1970-2000.
- Write the description like a regular sentence.
Step 4. Begin providing information about the source
Generally, this section begins with the words “Copied [or adopted] from…” These words will provide information that the graphic is taken from another source.
- If this graph is your original result (you collected and processed the data), you don't need to use that phrase.
- Example: Figure 1. Increase in tomato consumption, 1970-2000. Taken from…
Step 5. Write the volume name followed by the page number in parentheses
Italicize the title of the book and write the page number in parentheses after the title without any punctuation between the two. Write the titles of books and journals as you would a title sentence (use capital letters for the first letter of all words).
Example: Figure 1. Increase in tomato consumption, 1970-2000. Taken from Growing Vegetables in the Backyard (p. 43),
Step 6. Write the author's name, date of publication, location of publication, and name of the publisher
The writing must follow the format “first name, surname, date, location: publisher name.” For example, "J. Green, 2002, Hot Springs: Lake Publishers."
Example: Figure 1. Increase in tomato consumption, 1970-2000. Taken from Growing Vegetables in the Backyard (p. 43), by J. Green, 2002, Hot Springs: Lake Publishers
Step 7. Finish with copyright information if you plan to publish your article
For example, if the graphic copyright is owned by the American Tomato Growers Association, you should contact this organization if you want to use this graphic. After that, write in the caption that the graphic “Copyright 2002 by the American Tomato Growers Association. Used with permission of the copyright owner. Your full citation should read:
Figure 1. Increase in tomato consumption, 1970-2000. Taken from Growing Vegetables in the Backyard (p. 43), by J. Green, 2002, Hot Springs: Lake Publishers. Copyright 2002 by the American Tomato Growers Association. Used with the permission of the copyright owner
Method 3 of 4: Using the Chicago/Turabian Standard
Step 1. Place the quote below the graph
Graphs or diagrams from other sources should be labeled “Figure X” or “Fig. X. Use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.).
Images must be numbered in the order in which they appear; the first graphic or illustration that appears is called “Figure 1”, the second image is called “Figure 2”, and so on
Step 2. Provide a brief description
This description is the title of the image and provides information about the content of the graphic. Don't use punctuation after the description -- the rest of the citation information will be enclosed in parentheses.
For example, “Fig. 1. Increase in consumption of tomatoes…”
Step 3. Include the author's name, if applicable
For example, you might write “Graphs by the Tomato Growers Association of America.”
Step 4. Put the citation information in parentheses
Follow the format “In the Title of the Book. By the author. Location: publisher name, date of issue, page number. Your full citation should read:
Fig. 1. Increase in tomato consumption (Graph by Association of American Tomato Growers. In Growing Backyard Vegetables. John Green. Hot Springs: Lake Publishers, 2002, 43)
Method 4 of 4: Using the IEEE Format
Step 1. Give it a title
The title must be written in all capital letters. For example, “TOMATO CONSUMPTION CHART.”
Step 2. Write the quote number
In IEEE citations, each source is numbered in the order in which it appears in the body of your article. Each time you mention the source, use the citation number you have used before.
- If this is your first time using this resource, give it a new number.
- If you have used this resource before (in this article), use the number you gave the source.
- For example, let's say this is the fifth source used in your article. Your quote must start with square brackets then “5”: “[5…”
Step 3. Include the page number where you got the information
This step is the final step you take to quote in your article. Your full quote should look like:
- TOMATO CONSUMPTION CHART [5, p. 43].
- Make sure you include a complete list of citation sources in your endnotes.
