Citing Images
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
- owner (such as a museum or private owner), if applicable
- if from a digital source: date you found the work online
- name of the Web site where you found it
If you're just referring to the piece in your paper, use
- creator
- title
- year
- materials or format
the first time you mention it, and just the creator and title thereafter.
Chicago Style Citations
- Chicago Manual of Style OnlineCall Number: OnlineThe Chicago Manual of Style Online is completely searchable and easy to use, providing quick answers to your style and editing questions. The Q&A content is fully searchable along with the content of The Chicago Manual of Style. The Chicago Manual of Style Online also provides convenient Tools, such as sample forms, letters, and style sheets.
- Purdue Online Writing Lab gives excellent examples (for footnotes/endnotes and bibliographies) on how to cite using the Chicago citation style: books, periodicals, web sources, film & television, and much more.
- Examples for how to cite an image using the Chicago Style, from the Colgate University Visual Resources Library
Managing Information
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.
Citation Matters!
It's important to cite others' work ethically. As literary scholars, writers, and appreciators of literature, who you cite and how you give credit to other creators has the power to amplify their work and literary voice. Below are some useful concepts, tools, and resources to help you practice inclusive and ethical research!
ZoteroBib is a useful tool for generating bibliographies in your preferred citation style. You can enter information manually, or enter a URL to the resource to generate a citation.
Excelsior Online Writing Lab is an excellent resource to refer to for questions regarding citation style, in-text citations, footnotes and endnotes, or any formatting questions you may have.
Cornell Libraries offer citation management resources and workshops.
Remember to consider citation justice as you create a reference list throughout your research. Citation justice is defined as: "The act of citing authors/sources based on identity to uplift marginalized voices with the knowledge that citation is used as a form of power in a patriarchal society based on white supremacy" (Coalter 2022).
In reviewing the references, artwork, and other sources you've compiled in your research, ask yourself:
Whose voices are represented?
Whose voices are missing?
Qipu
What do you think of this caption?