How to Cite a Graph: APA, MLA and Chicago

To cite a graph, treat it as a figure: number it, give it a short description, and put the full credit for its source in a caption beneath it. What the caption looks like, and whether the source also needs its own reference-list entry, depends on the style. This guide gives the caption wording for APA, MLA and Chicago, then separates the three situations that call for different handling: reproducing or adapting someone else’s graph, citing only a finding from it, and drawing your own graph from a dataset. It applies equally to a chart, which the style guides treat in the same way as a graph.

The format: what a graph citation contains

Whichever style you use, a reproduced graph carries a caption with the same four parts, in a style-specific order and punctuation.

Label and number. APA and Chicago write “Figure 1”; MLA writes “Fig. 1.” Number graphs in the order they appear.
Short description. What the graph shows, in a phrase.
Credit line. APA opens it with “Note. From” (or “Adapted from”); Chicago author-date guides use “Source: Figure reproduced from” (or “adapted from”); MLA gives the full source citation after the description.
Permission or licence, where the work is going to be published (see the third situation below and the section on common errors).

Situation 1: you reproduce or adapt someone else’s graph

Use the caption patterns below. In APA the University of Queensland guide puts the number above the figure and the caption at the bottom, “From” for material reprinted unchanged and “Adapted from” for adaptations. Curtin University’s Chicago guide uses the same distinction in its credit line: “reproduced from” for unchanged, “adapted from” if you altered the graph or show only some of its data.

Situation 2: you cite only a finding from the graph

If you state a number or trend you read off a graph but do not insert the graph, there is no caption and no figure number. You cite the work the graph appeared in, as you would any source. Columbia Basin College’s MLA guide says to use the citation format of the source where the image is found, and Los Angeles Pierce College’s APA guide says that for a figure that is referred to but not reproduced, the in-text citation and reference list entry cite the overall source in which you found it.

Situation 3: you draw your own graph from a dataset

Curtin’s Chicago guide says a figure you created yourself needs no attribution. The data is a different matter: a dataset you did not collect is a source in its own right and is cited as one. In APA the pattern, from the APA Common Reference Examples handout, is Author. (Year). Title of dataset (ID; Version) [Data set]. Repository. DOI. Curtin also notes that if your work is going to be published, you need written permission from the copyright holder for any figure that is not your own; the guide itself is written for assignments.

Examples

All three examples use fictitious sources, written to the patterns the library guides give. No real author, journal or publisher is meant.

APA 7: graph reproduced from a journal article (fictitious)

Figure 2
Submissions per Year, 2015 to 2020
[the graph]
Note. From “Submission Trends in Small Journals,” by A. Example and B. Sample, 2021, Journal of Example Methods, 14(2), p. 88 (https://doi.org/10.0000/example.14288). Copyright 2021 by Example Academic Press. Reprinted with permission.

The article also gets a full entry in the reference list. A fuller walk-through of this style, including Creative Commons and public-domain closing statements, is in how to cite a figure in APA format.

MLA 9: graph reproduced from a web article (fictitious)

Fig. 1. A line graph showing yearly submissions to a small journal, from Alex Example, “Reading the Submissions Graph.” The Example Times, 7 Nov. 2024, example.org/submissions-graph.

This follows the shape of the Marist College Library example: “Fig.” and the number, a short description, then the full source citation with the author’s name written first name first. In the sentence that discusses the graph, refer to it and end with “(see fig. 1).”

Chicago 18 (author-date): graph adapted from a book (fictitious)

Figure 3. Stages of manuscript review
Source: Figure adapted from Fictional (2019, 41).

This follows the Curtin University pattern: “Figure” and the number, a sentence-case title with no full stop, a credit line, and a reference-list entry for the book. In notes-bibliography style, the Red Deer Polytechnic guide says the caption begins with the figure number, the citation is written as you would write it in a footnote, and Chicago 18th edition sets no fixed caption format. For the Chicago patterns for other sources, see how to cite a website in Chicago style.

In-text citation version

The caption does the crediting, so the running text only points to the graph.

APA: no in-text citation is used for a reproduced figure; the Queensland guide says the caption is used instead. Refer to it by label (“Figure 2 shows…”).
MLA: refer to the graph in the sentence and put “(see fig. 1)” at its end (Marist).
Chicago: refer to the figure by its number in the text (Curtin).

If you cite a finding rather than reproduce the graph, use the ordinary in-text citation of the work it came from, with the page where the graph appears if your style asks for one. See how to format tables in APA for the parallel rules for tables, and Harvard in-text citation if your course uses Harvard style.

Common errors

Treating the reference list the same way in every style. The Marist and Columbia Basin MLA guides say a reproduced graph with a full caption citation does not need a separate Works Cited entry (Columbia Basin adds: if it is not referred to elsewhere). APA wants the full reference in the list (Queensland). On Chicago the guides differ: Curtin’s author-date guide requires the source entry, while Red Deer’s notes-bibliography guide says images typically are not listed in the bibliography. Follow your department’s or publisher’s variant.
Crediting without permission. A credit line is not a licence. For a thesis chapter or article that will be published, seek permission from the copyright holder and record it in the caption. See how to get permission to reuse a published figure or text.
Captioning a graph you only used for a number. If you did not insert it, cite the source it came from, not a figure.
Writing “From” for a graph you changed. Altered or partial graphs are “adapted from” (Queensland, Curtin).
Attributing your own graph to yourself. Curtin says a figure you made needs no attribution; cite the underlying dataset instead.

Style-guide edition

As of October 2026 the current editions are the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020); the MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021); and The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition (2024). The APA, MLA and Chicago library guides listed below were checked on 29 October 2026. If your journal or university sets its own figure-caption rules, those override the guide.

FAQ

Is a chart cited differently from a graph?

No. Curtin’s guide lists “chart, map, graph, photograph, drawing” together as figures, and the Columbia Basin MLA page handles charts and graphs with one pattern.

Do I put the graph in my reference list or Works Cited?

It depends on the style, as set out under common errors: yes in APA, usually not in MLA when the caption holds the full citation, and varying by variant in Chicago.

Do I need a caption for a graph I made myself?

You still number and describe it, but you do not add a credit line (Curtin). Cite any dataset you used.

Can I reuse a graph in a thesis or paper that will be published?

Seek permission from the copyright holder and record it in the caption. Citing the source alone is not enough (Queensland, Curtin).

Sources

University of Queensland Library, “Figures – APA 7th referencing style,” https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7/figures (last updated 20 October 2026; checked 29 October 2026).
Los Angeles Pierce College Library, “Working With Figures and Tables,” https://library.lapc.edu/apa7/figures-tables (last updated 18 July 2026; checked 29 October 2026).
American Psychological Association, Common Reference Examples, 7th edition, https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf (last updated 3 March 2026; checked 28 October 2026).
Marist College Library, MLA FAQ on captions for tables and graphs, https://marist.libanswers.com/faq/424801 (last updated 8 May 2025; checked 29 October 2026).
Columbia Basin College Library, “MLA: Charts, Graphs, Images,” https://columbiabasin.libguides.com/MLA/charts (last updated 16 October 2025; checked 29 October 2026).
Curtin University, uniskills, “Chicago 18th: Tables and figures,” https://uniskills.library.curtin.edu.au/referencing/chicago18/tables-and-figures/ (checked 29 October 2026).
Red Deer Polytechnic Library, “Chicago 18: Images,” https://guides.rdpolytech.ca/chicago18/citation/image (last updated 25 August 2026; checked 29 October 2026).