Attribution Best Practices - GLBC 1200 - Utopias - LibGuides at Webster University

Attributing Images: essential elements

This information was copied from The University of California Irvine's page: "Art Research: Attribution Best Practices" by Derek Quezada

Attribute an image/visual media source for presentations, papers, or other formats that do not require a specific publication style.

Try to include the following elements in your attribution

Provide the creator of the work
the title of the work
the year(s) when it was composed/completed
the materials involved in creating the work
and the institution that houses the work
the date the work was retrieved
the website from which the work was retrieved (a hyperlink if the format allows).

Examples for some of the most common instances where attribution might be nessesary.

Google Images

Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889 (oil paint on canvas). Retrieved 7.27.11:

Flickr Images

Wikimedia Commons

Featherbed Alley Printshop (2006) by Aodhdubh (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Don't attribute an image to Google Images, look for attribution information on the page that actually hosts the image to provide the essential elements listed above

The Creative Commons status of the image (and a link to the Creative Commons license page provided by the creator if the format allows) should be included.

The Creative Commons status of a Flickr image is usually located to the right of the image under the “License” header.

Creative Commons images may be found on a number of websites, see the information on restricted licensing for more information

The rules above were created with the intention of providing basic citation information. There is no official set of rules for citing works found and/or composed on the internet

Cosistency is important, bear in mind that the primary purpose of citing references is to help a reader/viewer find the original sources.

Always do your best to credit the creator of a work and follow the licensing terms that they may have proposed