How to cite images and graphs on your ISEF poster trips up more students than any other formatting rule, mostly because the requirement is stricter than what most students learn in a normal class citation. Every graphic on your poster needs a citation, including the ones you made yourself. Get this wrong and you're not looking at a minor deduction. You're looking at a research integrity flag before a judge has even read your abstract. This guide walks through exactly what needs a citation, what format to use, and where it goes.
What Counts as an Image or Graph That Needs a Citation
Almost everything visual on your poster falls under this rule, not just the obvious stuff like a diagram pulled from a textbook.
| Source Type | Citation Needed? | Where It Goes |
|---|---|---|
| Image or diagram from a website or paper | Yes, APA format with URL | Next to the graphic or in a numbered reference list |
| A graph or chart you built yourself from your own data | Yes, naming the software used | Next to the graphic or in a numbered reference list |
| A photo you took yourself | Generally not required, but confirm with your fair's Display and Safety guidelines | N/A if not required |
| AI-generated or AI-modified graphics | Yes, with AI model name and date | Next to the graphic |
| A logo or icon used for decoration | Yes, same as any other sourced graphic | Next to the graphic or reference list |
The rule most students miss is the second row. Making the graph yourself doesn't exempt you from citing it. It just changes what the citation says.
The Difference Between Citing a Source Image and Citing Your Own Data
There are two completely different citation situations on most posters, and confusing them is where students get tripped up.
Citing someone else's graphic. If you pulled a diagram, photo, or chart from a website, paper, or textbook, that needs a full APA citation with a URL (or DOI if one exists). This is the citation type most students already understand from English class research papers.
Citing your own graphic. If you built a chart in Excel or Google Sheets from your own experimental data, you still need a citation, but it looks different. It names the tool you used to create it, not an external source. A line like "Graph created by Finalist using Excel" is what Society for Science's official guidance requires.
Both types of citations are mandatory. Skipping the second one because "I made it myself" is the single most common mistake on ISEF posters.
Where Citations Actually Go on an ISEF Poster
You have two acceptable placement options, and you can pick whichever fits your poster's layout better.
Option one: citation directly next to the graphic. Small text under or beside the image itself, so a judge can immediately see the source without hunting for it.
Option two: a single numbered reference list. Each graphic on the poster gets a number, and a vertically listed reference section (usually in a corner or at the bottom) matches each number to its full citation.
Example Citation Format
For a sourced image: "Figure 3. Coral bleaching progression. Adapted from Smith, J. (2024). Ocean Temperature and Reef Health. Journal of Marine Biology. https://doi.org/xxxxx"
For a self-created graph: "Figure 4. Germination rate by soil pH. Graph created by Finalist using Google Sheets."
Whichever placement method you choose, use it consistently across the entire poster. A poster that mixes both styles inconsistently looks unpolished even if every individual citation is technically correct.
Copyright and Permission: What ISEF Actually Requires
Using an image you found online doesn't require getting permission from the copyright holder to display it at a science fair for educational, non-commercial purposes. What it does require is honest, complete attribution. That distinction matters: citation is not the same thing as permission, and ISEF's rules focus on the citation requirement, not licensing.
The stricter, newer piece of this is AI. If you generated or modified any graphic using an AI tool, you must cite the specific AI model used and the date it was generated. This is separate from and in addition to the broader rule that generative AI cannot be used to write your research plan, abstract, poster text, or your citations themselves. AI can be a tool for producing a graphic, with disclosure, but it can't write your words for you anywhere on the poster.
Society for Science's official Display and Safety rules are the authoritative source here, and they're worth reading directly before you finalize your poster, since specific requirements can shift year to year. Society for Science also publishes a dedicated graphic credit guidance document with worked examples for exactly this rule, which is worth skimming if you want to see real citation formatting side by side with the graphic it belongs to.
How to Format Citations Step by Step
- List every graphic on your poster first. Before formatting anything, make a simple list: which images came from a source, which graphs you built yourself, and which (if any) used AI.
- Write the APA citation for each sourced graphic. Include author, year, title, publication, and URL or DOI.
- Write the software citation for each self-made graphic. Name the exact tool: Excel, Google Sheets, Python with a specific library, R, etc.
- Note the AI model and date for any AI-assisted graphic. Be specific about which tool and when you used it.
- Pick one placement method and apply it consistently. Either next-to-graphic or numbered reference list, not a mix of both.
- Proofread against your actual poster layout. Confirm every graphic has a matching citation and every citation number (if using a reference list) matches the correct figure.
If you're still early in the process and haven't built your project's methodology or figures yet, our guide on how to start a research project in high school covers what comes before poster formatting even becomes a question.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cite images and graphs on an ISEF poster?
Every graphic not created by you must be cited individually in APA format, with a URL if it came from the internet. Every graphic you created yourself also needs a citation naming the software or program you used, such as "Graph created by Finalist using Excel." Citations go either directly alongside each graphic or in a numbered reference list on the poster.
Do I need to cite a graph I made myself for ISEF?
Yes. Society for Science requires that graphics you created also be cited, specifically naming the program or software you used to make it. A statement like "Chart created by Finalist using Google Sheets" satisfies this requirement. This applies even though the data and design are entirely your own work.
What citation format does ISEF require?
APA format is required for all graphics not created by the finalist. If the source is a website, you need to include the URL, or a DOI in place of a long URL where one is available.
Where do citations go on an ISEF poster?
Citations can go directly next to the graphic they refer to, or in a single vertically numbered reference list displayed somewhere on the poster. Either approach is acceptable, but every graphic needs to be traceable to its citation clearly, not just implied.
Do I need to cite AI-generated images on my ISEF poster?
Yes, and the requirement is specific. Any graphic created or modified using AI must be cited with the AI model used and the date it was generated. Generative AI cannot be used to write your research plan, abstract, poster text, or to create your citations.
What happens if I don't cite a graphic correctly on my ISEF poster?
Incomplete or missing citations are a research integrity issue, not a minor formatting mistake. Judges and the Display and Safety review process check for this specifically, and a poster with uncited graphics can be flagged before you even get to present.
Can I use an image I found online on my ISEF poster?
Yes, as long as you cite it correctly in APA format with the source URL. Using an image doesn't require permission from the copyright holder for educational, non-commercial display purposes at a science fair, but it does require honest, complete attribution.
The Bottom Line
How to cite images and graphs on your ISEF poster comes down to one principle that's stricter than most students expect: every graphic needs a citation, including the ones you made yourself from your own data. Get the format right, pick one placement method and stick with it, and don't let AI touch anything you're required to write in your own words. This is exactly the kind of detail that separates a poster a judge takes seriously from one that raises a research integrity question in the first five seconds.
Your name is on the work, which means the citations are your responsibility too, not an afterthought to handle the night before the fair.
Catching a citation problem before submission is exactly the kind of detail a mentor should be checking with you well before deadline week, not the night before. The Aspire Research Fellowship pairs every student with a PhD-level mentor and a recent ISEF champion over 12 weeks, and poster review is part of the final stretch, not something you're left to figure out alone. Over 20,000 students have gone through the program, with an acceptance rate of roughly 10%, and it's open to grades 8 through 11.
Apply to the Aspire Research Fellowship →
For more on getting your project competition-ready, see our guides to high school academic research competitions and research topics for high school students.