At Chalmers University of Technology, the main referencing styles used for in-text citations are APA, IEEE, and Vancouver. However, the university has its own guidelines for the formatting of figures and figure captions, which can be combined with any referencing system.
In the caption include:
- Numbering
- Heading/title
- Source
- Copyright aspect
The examples below, developed in collaboration with the Chalmers Writing Center, represent the most common form of figure handling. We recommend that students follow this structure, but the most important thing is to be consistent.
For further information on copyright, Creative Commons, applying for permission, and a selection of image databases, you will find more details further down on the page.
NOTE!
The right to reproduce an image (insert a figure, graph, table, etc.) in your work may constitute an infringement of someone else's copyright, and we always recommend that you ask the copyright holder for permission. For images and figures you find on the internet, the easiest approach is to contact the copyright holder directly. For images from course books, contact the publishers.
For more information about copyright, Creative Commons, how to apply for permission, and a selection of image databases, please refer to the copyright tab on the left.
All figures (pictures, graphs, diagrams, etc.) must have a caption placed under the figure. Place the in-text citation for the original source after the caption for every table or figure that is not your own. See the example below.
Example:
Figure 1. Leeloo on the ice. [12], CC-BY-NC
In the reference list:
[12] E. Sörberg, "Leeloo on the ice," Accessed on: Jun 27, 2023. [Photograph]. https://flic.kr/p/2oKRasD
All figures (pictures, graphs, etc.) must have a caption placed under the figure. Place the in-text citation for the original source after the caption for every table or figure that is not your own. See the example below.
Example:
Figure 4. Infornation Needs of Farmers in Western Sweden. [23]. Reprinted with permission.
In the reference list:
[23] D. Soylu, N. Cevher, M. Schirone, och T. Medeni, "A comparative study of information-seeking behavior and digital information need of farmers in Turkey," International Journal of eBusiness and eGovernment Studies, vol. 8, no. 2, p. 27, 2016, https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/257012
All figures (pictures, graphs, diagrams, etc.) must have a caption placed under the figure. Place the in-text citation for the original source after the caption for every table or figure that is not your own. See the example below.
Example:
Figure. 3. Number of downloads at Chalmers library. [33]. Adapted with permission.
In the reference list:
[33] L.-H. Herbertsson, and Chalmers Library, "Number of downloads at Chalmers library," 2012. [Graph]. Unpublished.
Free images or images under public domain can be freely used, and you are allowed to edit them without asking for permission. However, you still need to reference the images to clarify where they come from. They should also be included in the reference list.
Note! You still need to check that the image is not copyright-protected. If you are unsure, make it a habit to assume the image is protected rather than the opposite.
Figure 2. The Horse. [13]. Public Domain
In the reference list:
[13] W. Blake, "The horse." 1805. [Painting]. https://pdimagearchive.org/images/b0b09f41-2ce8-4e52-8fd7-8b7edba0be2d/
All figures (pictures, graphs, etc.) must have a caption placed under the figure. See the example below.
Example:
Figure 1. Kitty the cat in a blue scarf.
In the reference list:
Your own figures or pictures that don't require attribution should not be included in the reference list.
AI images are not and cannot be protected by copyright law and are therefore considered public domain. Since AI-generated images cannot be replicated, a full reference isn't needed, but due to transparency it still needs to be included in the figure captions that the image is generated by an AI by specifying which tool was used.
Example:
Figur 1. A cat is studying in the library. (Created with Copilot, 2025)
All tables must have a caption placed above the table. Place the in-text citation for the original source or data after the caption for every table that is not your own. See the example below.
Example:
Table 1. Mendeley user status aggregated into sector and user types undefined
* For Students (Bachelor), students (Master), and students (Postgraduate)
** For researcher at non-academic institution
*** For lecturers and senior lecturers