This page is for students who need images for an assignment in any area - nursing, education, business. It will show you how to assess whether you can use an image and where you can find images for free.

Where you go to find an image will depend on:

              What you’re using it for – this will dictate the kind of licence that can be used (see our section on How you can use images)

              Your subject – this will help you know which platform to look at (see our section on Where you can find images)

Free, usable, cross-disciplinary images can be found at the following places:

JSTOR – change to Images and search using key words, just as you would search for an article. JSTOR will provide information on the originating collection, license, and copyright. You can also limit your search to Artstor for a more specific search.

Trove – search using key words and limit from ‘all categories’ to ‘images, maps & artifacts’. Copyright and licensing conditions are found on the website that holds the image.

Google Images – you can search as you would in Google. When you get to your results, click on ‘tools’, then ‘usage rights,' and change to a creative commons licence.

Museums and Galleries will often have creative commons licences on the pictures on their websites. These can usually be found by googling the name of the museum and the word 'collection' and usually the licence type can be found when you click into an image and read the information.

Open Access photo resources (like Flickr or Wikimedia Commons) have creative commons licences. You can use the photos to varying degrees. These sites often come up in a ‘creative commons licence’ Google image search.

WATCH OUT!
Sometimes we can get tricked into signing up for platforms that promise of 10 free-to-use images.

This creates a different kind of licence, and once these bonus images are used up you will be asked to pay for the rest.

It's best to find images from free sources from the get go. Then you always know where you stand, and you know how to cite and use the images.

You can search for images in much the same way you search for other kinds of information.

Using Boolean Operators can work in these databases (and in Google) to get more control over your search. Use our LEO search tips to prepare and do your search.

As with any searching, you need to know what you need to find to know what key words to use. Often, you will need to adjust your search a few times to get what you need.

In museum or gallery websites less is usually more. They won't read Boolean Operators, or complicated searches, so it's best to pick the most important concept and start searching from there.

Most images can be used in an educational context (i.e. in your assignment) with appropriate citation. If you’re using the image in a publication, that might be a different story. Each image will have its own rules – what we call a ‘licence’.

Mostly you will be on the lookout for a Creative Commons license (CC). There are six different types, but in an educational setting you should use these:

CC BY – you can use, adapt, and build upon this material in any format as long as you attribute the original image to the creator.

CC BY-ND – material can be copied and reused, but not adapted in anyway. Attribute the image to the creator.

There are some other variations to the licences. Go to creativecommons.org to find out more.

Advice about referencing images can usually be found either on a library guide for your referencing style or in the style's official guide. If you can't find those through googling (usually something like “images AND AMA 11th referencing style”), use your best judgement to adapt one that works.

APA7 is the most commonly used style at UTAS. Here is the APA7 guide for images, or our UTAS Library APA7 guide.