ENGL 1183.107: FWS: Word & Image (Spring 2025): Citations

Cover of the exhibition catalog, The Family of Man, 1955, which is still in print. JSTOR includes images of the exhibition installation.

When you're writing about an image or multimedia piece in a paper or presentation, you should provide the following pieces of information in the caption and in the bibliography...if you have a list of works of art cited:

• creator(s)
• title
• year(s) of creation
• materials or format
• current owner (such as a museum or private owner), if applicable
• address of the Web site where you found it if you did not see it in person

Refer to Chicago Manual Style 17th ed. 14.235: Citing paintings, photographs, and sculpture. It calls for: artist, title in italics, date of creation or completion, then medium and current location of the work. For works consulted online, add URL.

That's for the first time you mention it in the text; just the creator and title thereafter.

For MLA Citation Style, refer to examples provided in Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook. Ninth edition., The Modern Language Association of America, 2021. Appendix 2: Works-Cited-List, Entries by Format, pp 331-333. And online.

MLA Citation Style

Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook (2022) recommended section: Works-Cited-List Entries by Publication Format

Purdue's OWL (Online Writing Lab) MLA Formatting and Style Guide

The print copy of this manual is stored outside the Reference office, near the Info Desk in Olin Library.

Use citation management/PDF organizing software to save time and energy when organizing and citing research materials. 

The library has compiled a list of citation management tools, including Zotero and ZoteroBib. For advice choosing a citation manager or managing information, contact us for a consultation!

​Zotero is a free, open sourced, web-based tool for managing citation, organizing PDF's and creating bibliographies. It is a downloadable software program designed for humanities and social sciences research. The Library offers workshops to teach you how to use it. If there are no upcoming workshops, request a consultation using the link above.

ZoteroBib is a free, quick and easy online bibliography and citation maker that saves time and trouble. Add sources using the ZoteroBib search box. Then copy and paste the complete bibliography (or footnotes or in-text citations) into your paper in the citation style of your choice. (As great as ZoteroBib is, it isn't perfect. Check your citations carefully using citation style guides or ask a librarian for assistance.)