Next in the series is a tough one: images. As noted in the Finding images research guide, the last thing to worry about while writing a paper or preparing a presentation at three in the morning is the credibility and authenticity of the images. Luckily, there is help from Rutgers University Libraries to find and select images for your science poster or art history paper, whether stock photos or high-resolution digital scans of paintings.
The guide provides information about copyright laws and how to cite images. In general, the re-use of images for educational purposes is considered acceptable under the terms of fair use (see the Fair Use Checklist). If you wish to publish them online (such as on your blog), you will first need to determine whether or not the image is protected by copyright, then find out how to get copyright clearance. As for citation, you should follow the citation guidelines of the paper you are writing. If you use APA-style for the text, stick with that.
Find out more about images and licensing:
- Creative Commons licenses – a standardized way to grant the permission to use creative work under copyright law
- Fair Use Checklist – to determine the fair use of images
- Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States – online and downloadable chart from Cornell University
- Images: a guide to finding visual resources – a comprehensive source on image copyright from Cornell University
Did you ever wonder why you can’t find quality images for free? In the guide you will find the background on stock photos and some sources, along with terms and conditions that accompany them.
The guide lists popular sources to find images on the public domain, such as
- Creative Commons Search – search a variety of media with options to filter by source and license type (including public domain)
- Flickr – use the advanced search option and select “All creative commons” under “Licenses” from the top left pulldown menu
- Google Advanced Image Search – under Tools/Image Rights, choose results with Creative Commons Licenses
- Wikimedia Commons – freely usable media files (images, audio, video). Check the image summary for details on permitted use.
- Pixabay – free high-resolution stock photos with a CC0 (public domain) depicting a wide variety of subjects
A great collection of sources for science images includes the description of the collection and provider, and also gives some guidance whether the collection is searchable, free, and if it requires attribution. A few examples from the list:
- American Museum of Natural History Digital Special Collection – over 7,000 digital images from the archival photographic images, art and memorabilia images and Rare Book Collection illustrations.
- Botanical Society of America Online Image Collection
- PubChem – Chemical structure search available via the NIH.
- Science Photo Library – Offers more than 600,000 images and 40,000 clips of scientific images and videos.
- US Department of Agriculture – a complimentary source of high-quality digital photographs available from the Agricultural Research Service Office of Communications.
- Wellcome Images – one of the world’s richest and most distinctive collections, with themes ranging from medical and social history to contemporary healthcare and biomedical science.
Image source: Woodward, C., Waller, I., & Lipman, J. (1932). New Jersey’s Agricultural Experiment Station, 1880-1930. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. p. 99.
“Cite Right” Series
- Part 1: Cite Right – Workshop in the Library
- Part 2: Cite Right – Confessions of an Edition Ignoramus
- Part 3: Cite Right – Phantom References
- Part 4: Cite Right – Resources from RUL
- Part 5: Cite Right – Misquotes
- Part 6: Cite Right – Images
- Part 7: Cite Right – Predators of Science
Brought to you by Books We Read at Chang.