From downloading to crediting: how to attribute images

What is an image?

Images are visual materials, such as pictures, illustrations, graphs, or tables.

Copyright infringement and plagiarism

It’s important to note that providing credit (attributing) is used to prevent both copyright infringement and plagiarism. However, the rules regarding copyright and plagiarism do not completely overlap. For example:

• Providing credit to a source you are allowed to reuse prevents both copyright infringement and plagiarism.
• Providing credit to a source you are not allowed to reuse only prevents plagiarism but does not prevent copyright infringement.
• Not providing credit to a source you are allowed to reuse only prevents copyright infringement if attribution is not required. However, you are still committing plagiarism.

When do I need to attribute an image?

We recommend that you always provide an attribution to an image.

Besides copyright considerations, you should always cite and refer to your sources from a scientific integrity standpoint to avoid plagiarism.

If you’re only concerned with preventing copyright infringement, you're required to provide proper attribution to an image in the following cases:

• An image that you or your organisation doesn’t have the copyright to. You must request permission from the copyright holder unless you can use it under the right to cite exemption. Note that the creator of an image isn’t always the copyright holder, as this right can be transferred.
• An image with a Creative Commons (CC) license. The copyright holder has already permitted using it. Check the license terms to know what you're allowed to do with the image.

You don’t have to provide an attribution to the following:

• Images from the public domain.

Images from the public domain don't require attribution. However, we recommend that you do so anyway. Proper attribution will prevent someone from making a copyright claim on the image. Or it will ensure that you still get the information related to that picture if a copyright claim is issued. These claims can be issued years later, and having that information available will help you to fight the claim.

How do I properly attribute an image?

When attributing an image you’re legally allowed to reuse, it's important to state who the image is from and where to find the source.

• As a general guideline, make sure you include the creator, author, or copyright holder of the work, the title of the work or the source in which the work can be found, and the copyright information. Hyperlink to the material whenever possible and add any additional information that may be needed to retrieve the original source of the image.
• If you use an image with a Creative Commons license, you can check their recommended practices for attribution.
• If you’re using the image in academic work, you’ll need to follow the guidelines of the required reference style, for example, the APA 7^th style.
• If you modify the image, you should also indicate that.
• The attribution should be visible to all. Do not use the alternative text option.

Example of image attribution.

The image below is from a digital medium with a Creative Commons license. Following their recommended practices, you would attribute it as follows:

• Title of the image, hyperlinking to the original source
• Name of the copyright holder (may be different from the author), with a hyperlink if available
• License information, with a hyperlink to the license description

Copyright Infringement by Nick Youngson licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

If you want to reuse images that have never been posted online, hyperlinking to the source is not an option. Provide as much information as needed. You can see an example below.

Sky and Neighbourhood by R.W. van de Blaak from Utrecht: Then and Now – 200 years of Utrecht. Published by Porpucine Publishing, 2014. Page 184

Support

If you need more information about attributing images or about copyright and images, check the CIP website, or email copyright@wur.nl.