Drawings and illustrations in APA are classified as figures and use format descriptors like [Drawing], [Illustration], or [Diagram] in the reference entry. The citation depends on the source — a scientific illustration from a journal article, an architectural drawing from an archive, and a digital illustration from a website each follow different reference structures. The key is identifying the artist or creator, the date, and where the work was accessed.
Reference Format by Source Type
Drawing or Illustration From a Book
Artist Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of work [Format]. In A. Author/Editor (Ed.), Title of book (p. Page or Plate). Publisher.
Example:
Audubon, J. J. (1838). Carolina parakeet [Illustration]. In The birds of America (Plate 26). R. Havell.
Illustration From a Journal Article
Cite the article — the illustration is part of it:
Author(s). (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), Page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Refer to the specific figure in your in-text citation:
(Ramirez et al., 2023, Figure 2)
Drawing or Illustration From a Website
Artist Last Name, First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of work [Format]. Site Name. URL
Example:
Chen, L. (2023, September 4). Human cardiovascular system [Illustration]. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/example
Drawing From a Museum or Archive
Artist Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of work [Format]. Museum/Archive Name, City, State/Country. URL (if available)
Example:
da Vinci, L. (ca. 1490). Vitruvian Man [Drawing]. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy.
Technical or Architectural Drawing
Creator Last Name, First Initial or Organization. (Year). Title of drawing [Technical drawing]. Source. URL (if available)
Example:
Wright, F. L. (1935). Fallingwater, first floor plan [Architectural drawing]. Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ. https://franklloydwright.org/example
Illustration From a Digital Platform
Creator Last Name, First Initial [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Title or description [Digital illustration]. Platform Name. URL
Example:
Park, S. [@soyeon.draws]. (2024, January 20). Conceptual diagram of neural network layers [Digital illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/example
Drawing With No Known Artist
Title of work [Format]. (Year). Source. URL
Example:
Anatomical diagram of the human ear [Illustration]. (2021). Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/example
Drawing With No Date
Use "n.d." or "ca." for approximate dates:
da Vinci, L. (ca. 1510). Studies of the arm showing the movements made by the biceps [Drawing]. Royal Collection Trust, Windsor, United Kingdom.
In-Text Citations
| Scenario | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Known artist | (da Vinci, ca. 1490) | da Vinci (ca. 1490) |
| Illustration in journal | (Ramirez et al., 2023, Figure 2) | Ramirez et al. (2023) |
| Website illustration | (Chen, 2023) | Chen (2023) |
| Unknown artist | ("Anatomical Diagram," 2021) | "Anatomical Diagram" (2021) |
Embedding a Drawing as a Figure
When you include a drawing or illustration in your paper:
Figure 2
Anatomical Illustration of the Human Cardiovascular System
Note. From Human cardiovascular system, by L. Chen, 2023, Scientific American (https://www.scientificamerican.com/example). Copyright 2023 by Springer Nature. Reprinted with permission.
Your Own Drawings
If you created the drawing yourself, no copyright note is needed:
Figure 5
Proposed Model for Information Processing in Bilingual Readers
Copyright Notes
Reprinted Exactly
Note. From "Title of work," by A. Artist, Year, Source (URL). Copyright Year by Copyright Holder. Reprinted with permission.
Adapted (Redrawn, Modified, Annotated)
Note. Adapted from "Title of work," by A. Artist, Year, Source (URL). Copyright Year by Copyright Holder.
Creative Commons
Note. From "Title of work," by A. Artist, Year, Source (URL). CC BY 4.0.
Public Domain
Note. From "Title of work," by A. Artist, Year, Source (URL). In the public domain.
Format Descriptors for Drawings and Illustrations
Choose the most specific descriptor:
- [Drawing]
- [Illustration]
- [Diagram]
- [Sketch]
- [Technical drawing]
- [Architectural drawing]
- [Digital illustration]
- [Anatomical illustration]
- [Botanical illustration]
- [Scientific illustration]
Common Drawing Citation Mistakes
- Using [Image] instead of a specific descriptor. Be precise — [Illustration], [Drawing], or [Diagram] tells readers more than a generic label.
- Citing the website that hosts the image, not the creator. Credit the artist or organization that created the illustration.
- Forgetting the copyright note for embedded illustrations. Every reproduced or adapted figure needs a source credit in the note.
- Not including approximate dates for historical works. Use "ca." for estimated dates: (ca. 1490).
- Confusing drawings with paintings. Drawings are typically works in pencil, ink, charcoal, or digital line art. If the work is a painting, see How to Cite a Painting in APA.
What's Next
- How to Cite a Painting in APA — citing artwork in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and other painted media
- How to Cite an Image in APA — broader rules for citing visual sources
- APA Figures — complete figure formatting rules
- APA Tables — formatting rules for data presented in rows and columns
Archivero helps you focus on your research while keeping the formatting consistent — so you can cite illustrations and technical drawings correctly without second-guessing the format.
