A Complete Guide to Citing Images in PowerPoint Presentations

Adding photos illustrations charts, and other visual elements can make your PowerPoint presentations pop. But it’s important to properly cite any images you use to give credit to the original creator.

In this comprehensive guide. I’ll explain everything you need to know about citing images in PowerPoint including

• When you need to provide citations for images
• How to find licensing and attribution information
• Citation formats for MLA, APA, Chicago, and other styles
• Best practices for inserting and formatting image citations

With clear guidelines and examples for PowerPoint image citations you’ll be able to create visually engaging presentations without accidental copyright infringement. Let’s dive in!

When Should You Cite Images in Presentations?

In general, you need to provide a citation anytime you use an image in a PowerPoint that you did not create yourself. The exceptions are images that are in the public domain or have a Creative Commons (CC) license permitting reuse without attribution.

You should cite images if they come from:

• Stock photo sites like Getty Images or Adobe Stock
• Photo sharing sites like Flickr or Pexels
• Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
• Books, journals, magazines, or other print publications
• Museum or organization websites

Basically, if you didn’t take the photo or create the image yourself, provide a citation. Failing to cite properly could constitute copyright infringement.

Now let’s look at how to find the information you’ll need for citations…

Locating Image Licensing Details

To properly cite an image, you’ll need to determine:

• The creator/photographer/artist
• The title or brief description
• The publication date
• The license or usage rights

Finding this info will depend on the image source:

• Stock sites: Licensing details are provided when you purchase an image.

• Social media: Check the image caption and copyright section of the user’s profile.

• Websites: Look for an attribution line near the image or photo credits page.

• Print publications: Information is usually in the editorial masthead or image caption.

Spend time locating the details before using an image. It will save you hassle down the road!

Citation Styles for Images in Presentations

There are a few standard citation formats you can use for PowerPoint image citations:

MLA Style

The Modern Language Association (MLA) format is commonly used in humanities and liberal arts fields.

Cite images in MLA using this structure:

Creator Last Name, First Name. Title or Description, Publication Date, Source.

For example:

Smith, Jane. Golden Gate Bridge, 2018, Flickr.

APA Style

APA is the citation style of the American Psychological Association. It’s widely used in science and social science classes.

APA image citations include:

Creator Last Name, First Initial. (Year published). Title or description [Format]. Retrieved from URL

For example:

Smith, J. (2018). Golden Gate Bridge [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://flickr.com/photos/janesmith/123456

Chicago Style

The Chicago Manual of Style has two possible formats for citations:

Notes and bibliography:

Creator First Name Last Name, Title or Description, Date Published, Source.

For example:

Jane Smith, Golden Gate Bridge, 2018, Flickr.

Author-date:

(Creator Last Name Year, Title or Description)

For example:

(Smith 2018, Golden Gate Bridge)

There are more citation styles, like Harvard and IEEE, but MLA, APA, and Chicago cover most use cases. Check with your instructor or editor on which format they prefer.

Best Practices for Image Citations in Slides

You’ve got the details and know the citation style to use. Now it’s time to add image citations to your PowerPoint presentation.

Follow these best practices when including in-slide citations:

• Place citations immediately below images or in a text box.
• Use a smaller font (e.g. 8-12 pt) so citations don’t distract.
• Set citation text in italics to differentiate it.
• Leave citations outside slide borders and image edges.
• Use consistent formatting for all image citations.
• Double check for accuracy before finalizing slides.

Properly formatting citations takes just a bit of extra effort. But it could save you from allegations of plagiarism or copyright issues.

![Example image citation in a PowerPoint slide][image1]

This example shows an APA-style image citation placed below the photo.

Now let’s look at some PowerPoint tools that can streamline your citation process…

Using PowerPoint Tools to Help With Citations

Manually formatting citations for each image would be tedious. Luckily, PowerPoint includes features to add citations quickly and consistently:

Notes Panel: Add all image details here as a reference while you work. Then easily move notes to slides.

Text Boxes: Add movable citation text boxes around your images.

Master Slide: Add an image citation placeholder that automatically appears on all slides.

Citation Manager: Microsoft 365 subscribers have access to a citation tool in PowerPoint.

Take advantage of these tools to save time and citations will be stress-free!

Adding Image Citations in the Notes Section

As you create your slides, use the Notes panel to gather citation details for each image:

• Select the image, then start typing citation info into the Notes pane.

• Include all relevant reference information as you would for a bibliography source.

Later when your slides are complete, you can quickly add citations by pulling them from the Notes into text boxes.

Using Text Boxes for Citations

Text boxes give you flexibility to position citations near images. To add:

• Select Insert > Text Box and draw a box near the image.

• Type or paste the formatted citation text into the box.

• Resize and reposition the box as needed.

This approach works well for frequently changing layouts.

Add a Citation Placeholder to the Master

For a consistent look, add an image citation placeholder to your presentation Master slide:

• On the Master, insert a text box and type “Image Citation” as sample text.

• Format it smaller, in italics, with tight line spacing.

• Outline the text box and set it off to the side, outside the image.

All slides will inherit this placeholder that you can just replace with real citations.

Utilize the Built-In Citation Tool (Microsoft 365)

If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can access the citation tool right within PowerPoint:

• Select the References tab and choose Insert Citation.

• Fill in the source details and select a citation style.

• The properly formatted citation will be inserted wherever your cursor is located.

The citation tool integrates with Word and OneNote as well, allowing you to reuse sources.

Sample Citations for Common Image Sources

To help you visualize proper source citation formats, here are examples for images from different locations:

Stock Photo Site

Jones, Sarah. Happy Businesswoman, 2018, Getty Images.

Social Media

Lee, Michelle. Yummy Donut, 2022, Instagram, www.instagram.com/michellelee.

Website

Tour Eiffel. Tour Eiffel illuminated at night, n.d., Paris Tourist Office, https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-photo-gallery/photo/tour-eiffel-illuminated-at-night.

Print Publication

Ling, Samantha. Children playing at the beach, 2022, The Guardian, p. A3.

With these image citation examples and guidelines, you have everything you need to properly cite images in your PowerPoint presentations.

The key is taking a few minutes upfront when adding images to record all required citation details. Then use PowerPoint tools and features to quickly insert polished citations.

Properly citing visual elements demonstrates your professionalism, attention to detail, and respect of others’ creative work. So take pride in accurately acknowledging your image sources. The effort is worth it!