Finding Images: Using & Citing Images

What you need to do to use an image depends on:

1. How you are going to use it.

Fair use - in most cases, you may reproduce an item and use it for Educational or Scholarly purposes without obtaining permission. You must still cite the item (see below.) Learn more about Fair Use of Images from this MIT Library Guide.

Commercial use - in order to use images in advertising, promotional and merchandising materials, including menus in restaurants, you must determine how it is licensed (see below) and you may need to obtain permission from the owner of the copyright to reproduce it and you may need to pay a fee to use it. Learn more about Image Copyright Rules & Licensing from this Getty Images Guide.

2. Who owns it and how it is licensed. 

Public Domain - these are items that were never copyrighted, are a type of item that cannot be copyrighted, or they are older items and the copyright has expired.  You do not need to obtain permission to use these images. Learn more about Public Domain from this Cornell University Library Guide.

Copyright & Licensing - "Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression." definition from The United States Copyright Office. Learn more about how copyright applies to images (as primary sources) from this Library of Congress Guide.

There are different types of copyright licenses which determines how an image can be modified and reused.  Learn more about licensing from Creative Commons.

Many of the search engines for images on the web (included in this guide) provide tools to help you locate images by the type of license. For example, this Google Help page on how to "Find free-to-use images."  See also the Creative Commons Search Portal.

Always check with your instructor to determine which citation style and format they want you to use.

Here are guides and instructions for citing images:

MIT Guide to Citing Images - general overview of basic guidelines

Purdue OWL MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources  for Web Publications of an Image, including a Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph

Purdue OWL MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources for a Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph