How to Cite an Adapted Figure in APA 7

To cite an adapted figure in APA 7, identify its original source, credit the adaptation in the figure note, and provide the required reference. Check the material's reuse terms separately. Changing a diagram does not erase its source, and adding a citation does not by itself establish permission to reuse it.

plagiarism-checker-online.net Editorial Team | Published October 7, 2026 | Sources checked October 7, 2026

You redraw a diagram so its labels fit your paper. The shapes are yours, but the arrangement still comes from someone else's model. Calling it an original figure would hide that borrowing. A useful credit tells readers where the model came from, what you changed, and how to retrieve the source.

This guide covers that source trail, not every APA spacing rule. For the wider relationship between claims, citations, and references, start with our citation and referencing guide.

First identify what you changed

Reproduced, adapted, or created from your own data

Classify the figure before writing its note. Use the content and relationships, not the drawing software, to decide. A diagram rebuilt from scratch can still reproduce someone else's intellectual work.

A new bar chart of someone else's dataset belongs outside the last row's purely original case. You may own the chart design, but readers still need the dataset. Likewise, translating a diagram's labels doesn't make the underlying model yours. Separate the source of the data from the source of the visual arrangement when they're different.

Build a source-and-change record

Save the record while the source is open. Search results and image aggregators often lead to the image, but they aren't necessarily its creator or publication. Follow the result to the original article, report, or repository record. Confirm that the figure's own credit doesn't name another source.

The worksheet below is an original planning tool, not an APA reference template. Keep one row per figure. If a cell is unresolved, leave a specific question rather than filling it with a guess.

Save the source page or license evidence with your notes where your course permits it. A DOI identifies a work, but it doesn't explain your alterations. The change record does. Learn how to trace claims to their sources when checking source identity; you can also keep source records for annotations instead of separating metadata from your reading notes.

Where the figure note and reference belong

APA's official figure setup guidance places notes below the image and includes copyright attribution among their purposes. It also provides two placement options: embed the figure after its first mention, or place figures on separate pages after the reference list. Follow the option your assignment uses.

For source-credit details, the University of Melbourne's APA 7 journal-figure guide gives a note below the figure and a reference-list entry for the original source. Its note structure distinguishes From from Adapted from and identifies the article, authors, year, journal, page, and DOI. Different source types need their own metadata.

That Melbourne guide says not to add a separate in-text source citation for the reproduced figure; the caption and note provide the credit. Don't treat that institutional instruction as proof that every instructor expects the same additional citation practice. The public APA setup page establishes the note's position but doesn't resolve that extra author-date question. Check your course guide before combining instructions from different websites.

Calling out the figure in your discussion is a separate task from crediting its source. A sentence such as "Figure 2 shows the routes included in this comparison" directs the reader to your figure. It doesn't identify the publication you adapted.

Build the note from verified source details and the relevant rights statement. Use our citation generator to format the source reference, then compare the metadata with the actual work. It doesn't generate permission or decide which figure-credit statement your use requires. No complete reference or figure note in this guide is presented as citation-engine output.

Worked example: simplify a diagram without losing its source

Fictional teaching example: Imagine a source record called "Student support routes," written by an invented course author, Morgan Lee, in 2024. Its Figure 3 on page 8 has three branches: tutoring, financial support, and counseling. This is not a real publication, a verified study, or licensed material.

Your paper discusses academic support only. You want to remove the financial-support branch, shorten two labels, and redraw the boxes. Record those decisions before making the figure.

The source record would identify the fictional original, its Figure 3, page 8, and the planned changes. The displayed note would need to identify an adaptation and explain the omitted branch. In a real assignment, you'd replace this teaching record with retrievable metadata and a verified rights statement, not cite the invented work.

Omitting a branch can change the claim even when credit is present. If your surrounding paragraph says the diagram captures every support option, the adaptation misrepresents the original. Fix the scope statement or keep the branch. Attribution and faithful representation are separate checks.

Credit and reuse permission answer different questions

A citation identifies the source. A license or other applicable basis addresses reuse. Neither task substitutes for the other. Purdue OWL's figure checklist asks writers to document external sources, consider whether permission is necessary, and acknowledge modifications.

One bounded example is CC BY 4.0. For material actually covered by that license, its attribution terms require appropriate credit, a license link, and an indication of changes. Retain supplied attribution information and indications of previous changes; don't imply endorsement. The deed summarizes the license and warns that other rights may still matter.

Check the particular figure, not just the article's license badge. A figure credited to another rights holder may be excluded from the article's license. Keep the exclusion notice in your record. If the license or intended use is unclear, ask your librarian or the rights holder before reuse. "It's for class" isn't a blanket permission statement, especially if the paper later goes into a public repository.

Final submission checks

• Open the original source and confirm that the number, page, and creator match your note.
• Make the source reference retrievable, and check the DOI or stable URL.
• Describe changes that affect scope, labels, categories, or relationships.
• Retain the license evidence and resolve any figure-specific exclusion.
• Compare your adapted meaning with the original, not just the shapes.
• Follow the assignment's figure placement and citation instructions.

You can check readable text for source matches, including some caption text, as a separate review. A text scan cannot establish image originality or reuse permission. If you choose to start a text check, review what the report actually compares rather than treating a low score as clearance for the figure.

Sources checked

The linked APA, Melbourne, Purdue, and Creative Commons pages were checked for this guide on October 7, 2026. Their roles differ: APA explains figure setup, Melbourne supplies institutional source-note guidance, Purdue supplies a documentation checklist, and Creative Commons explains one license's terms.

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