Most word processing and spreadsheet software will allow you to produce your own visuals. If you create a chart, a table, or a graph using information from your research, you must cite the source of the information even though the visual is your own.
If you download a photograph from the Web or scan an image from a magazine or book, you must credit the person or organization that created it, just as you would cite all sources you use in a college paper. If your document is written for publication outside the classroom, you will need to request permission to use any visual you borrow.
Guidelines for using visuals vary by academic discipline:
Guidelines for crediting the source of a visual also vary by discipline: MLA, APA, Chicago.