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Copyright for Students: Images

Copyright and Images

Visual images are protected by copyright law under the same terms as other original work. Therefore, if you are using images in a class project, you need to consider copyright and fair use. 

Selected sources for images

Open Access Images

Images from sources listed below are available for use on the open web. You are free to use these images in multimedia projects, websites, blogs, portfolios, etc. 

Always read and comply with the use restrictions for specific image sources. Be sure to cite images someone else created.

Images should not be sold or used in commercial products or for commercial purposes.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: This guide covers basic issues of copyright for Bucknell students who may need to use copyrighted information in their course work. It is not intended as legal advice.  More information is available on the mybucknell copyright site (login may be required), which includes our institution's policy.

Questions?  Contact copyright@bucknell.edu

Additional Resources

Citing images

If you use an image you did not create, you must provide a citation. Images should be cited in all cases, even if the image is very small, or in the public domain. The citation should be accessible in the context of the image's use (within a Powerpoint presentation, on a web page, in a paper, etc.).

Image citations should include the following information at a minimum:

  • Title
  • Creator name
  • Repository information (museum, library, or other owning institution)
  • Image source (database, website, book, postcard, vendor, etc.)
  • Date accessed

It is also useful to include date, and rights information, if known.

Citations can be formatted according to the citation style you are using.

.

Corridor in the Asylum, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889 (public domain)