How to cite the author of an image if you're using numbers for citation?

Question

Like instead of saying: "image taken from [1]"

Is there a better way?

I'm using Zotero linked to Overleaf. Just in case this information is somehow relevant.

Answer 1

Usually, "image taken from [1]" is sufficient.

However, you can be more specific within your citation style. For example, in IEEE style, you can add a particular detail, like a lemma, page numbers, equations, a specific figure, etc.:

[3, Th. 1]; [3, Lemma 2]; [3, pp. 5–10]; [3, eq. (2)]; [3, Fig. 1]; [3, Appendix I]; [3, Sec. 4.5]; [3, Ch. 2, pp. 5–10]; [3, Algorithm 5].

This can be useful when the reference is very large or contains several images that could be confused.

Anyway, you should consult the citation style and reference guide for your particular publisher.

NB: for images, ensure that you actually can reproduce an image in your publication (if that is your intention), as often the copyright might prohibit you from doing it without explicitly asking for permissions (IEEE case).

Answer 2

It will very much depend on the who/what you're writing for. If this is towards your dissertation, you may have a lot of stylistic freedom concerning such things, or you may not. Look up your school's dissertation policy.

If this is for a journal article, read whatever "Instructions to Authors" the journal offers. If it links you to a style guide, read it. If you still can't find a good answer, "image taken from [1]" is probably good enough. If the journal feels that this isn't good enough, then it's the copy editor's job to correct it, either through an author's query in the gallies or just fixing it on their own to match their own style guide.

Answer 3

If you use natbib you can use \citeauthor or \citet to get alternative presentations that include (or are only) author names.