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Images - Finding & Using

This guide provides information on where to find images for your research and using images for educational purposes.

Getting Started

Finding images for a research paper, a course assignment, or for sharing online can be challenging. This guide addresses what to consider when finding and using images, such as:

  • The difference between image full text and image index databases
  • Open Access image websites
  • How to cite images using a specific citation style
  • Copyright and Creative Commons permissions or attributions

Here is an example of how to cite an image with a Creative Commons (CC) license:

Title: Mermaid Cove Sunrise

Creator: Jerry Meadon

Source: Flikr https://bit.ly/2GMYajl

Copyright Information: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

 

Note: The use of digital images is often subject to copyright and/or licensing restrictions. Consult each site's information on rights and reproductions, especially if you plan to use an image in a publication. For guidance on how to cite images in a research paper, see the How to Cite section of this guide.

Key Image Resources

Listed below are few image resources.  For more resources, explore the menu topics on the left-hand side of the page.

Search Tips

Searching Artstor: An Introduction

For help with finding, viewing, and downloading images using the database Artstor, watch the video below.


 
Using Google Image Search

For help with verifying, tracking, or finding information about an image on Google (including reverse image searches).


 
Image Slideshows on Bing

For help with making Bing's image search results play like a slideshow (save yourself from having to scroll through pages of crowded images).

Library Research Help

Need additional help? Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Art Librarian Sara Ellis

Caitlin Lindsay
Art Librarian
Music, Art & Architecture Library
Room 414, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
1961 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

Email: caitlin.lindsay@ubc.ca
Phone: 604-827-3549