Finding and Using Images

If you are using an image, you need to cite it. Whether you had to obtain permission or it was freely available to use, it is necessary to give credit to the creator or copyright holder. When it comes to citing images, it's important to consult the correct citation style (e.g. APA, MLA). Refer below for an example.

APA Examples:

In-text:

Figure 1

Interior of Home in Pompeii

Note. From Interior of home in Pompeii [Photograph], by R. Hawkins, 2008, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pompei_%2829%29.jpg). CC BY-SA 1.0.

Reference Entry:

Hawkins, R. (2008). Interior of home in Pompeii [Photograph]. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pompei_%2829%29.jpg.

This is one example of how you can cite an image. If you have questions regarding citing images, please contact your subject librarian or email libraryreference@scu.edu.

With Creative Commons licensed images, attribution is generally required. An attribution provides credit to the creator, similar to a citation, but it also includes the Creative Commons license information. The general format for attributing a Creative Commons licensed image is:

"Image Title" by Name of Creator is licensed under License Type. 

Example:

"Cat: Pretty homeless cat" by Art Korotkov is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Note that an attribution statement should try to include embedded hyperlinks to the source image, creator's site and Creative Commons license information. If there is no image title, start with a short description of the image enclosed with [ ].

Below is a graph depicting the different Creative Commons licenses and what the choices are for creators:

• Attribution (BY) - You need to give me credit, by name
• Non-commercial (NC) - You can't use this to make money
• No derivatives (ND) - You can't change this
• Share-alike (SA) - You need to share your project under the same license

"Creative commons license spectrum" by Shaddim & Creative Commons is licensed under CC BY 4.0