ENGL 5551: Publication Design - Dr. Schreiber - Spring 2025
Citations vs. Attributions?
Attributions vs. Citations
Understanding the difference between attributions and citations is crucial for ethical image use.
Attributions
Purpose: To give credit to the creator of an image.
Includes: Title, author, source, and license.
Example: "Sunset Over the Mountains" by Jane Doe is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: example.com
Citations
Purpose: To reference a source used in your research.
Includes: Author, title, publication, date, and URL/DOI.
Example: Smith, John. "Exploring the Universe." Journal of Astronomy, vol. 15, no. 3, 2023, pp. 45-60. Complementary Index, doi:10.1234/abcd.efgh.
Ethical Image Use
Always provide proper attributions for images to respect the creator's rights and follow the license terms. Use citations to reference sources accurately in your academic work.
Resources for Finding Images You Can Use Ethically
-
Creative Commons Search Portal he Creative Commons (CC) Search Portal helps you search CC licensed works across multiple platforms.
-
Openverse Openverse is search engine for openly-licensed photos, audio, and video from dozens of sources. All Openverse content is under a Creative Commons license or in the public domain, and you can filter your search results by license. Additional search tips are available in the Openverse Syntax Guide. Each image page includes a "Credit the creator" section, which provides a recommended attribution statement in various formats.
-
Google Images Please note that while you can search for images on Google via license, many images are not for reuse. ALWAYS check the licensing terms before using an image from Google.
-
Unsplash "Unsplash is a platform powered by an amazing community that has gifted hundreds of thousands of their own images to fuel creativity around the world. So sign up for free, or don’t. Either way, you’ve got access to over 6 million photos and illustrations under the Unsplash license—which makes them free to do-whatever-you-want with."
Attributing a Creator
Image Attribution Guide
- Identify the Image Details:
- Title: Find the title of the image, if available.
- Author: Identify the creator or photographer of the image.
- Source: Note the URL where the image is hosted.
- License: Determine the type of license under which the image is released (e.g., Creative Commons, Public Domain).
- Format the Attribution:
- Title: Place the title of the image in quotation marks.
- Author: Write the author's/creator name. If the author is not known, you can use "Unknown" or the username if available.
- Source: Include the URL where the image can be found.
- License: Specify the license type and provide a link to the license details if possible.
- Construct the Attribution:
Combine the details into a complete attribution. Here’s a template you can use:
"Title of the Image" by Author Name is licensed under License Type. Source: [URL]
Example Attribution:
Let's say you found an image titled "Sunset Over the Mountains" by Jane Doe on a website, and it is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). The attribution would look like this:
"Sunset Over the Mountains" by Jane Doe is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Source: https://example.com/sunset-over-the-mountains
Tips:
- Always check the license: Ensure you comply with the terms of the license, such as providing proper attribution and not using the image for commercial purposes if the license prohibits it.
- Include all necessary details: Make sure your attribution is complete and accurate to give proper credit to the creator.