Can I use images from the internet in my assignments?

This page last updated 04/03/2007

There is an other area where you need to be careful to document your sources: the use of images or diagrams that you found online. Services like Google Images give you easy access to lots of different images, but just because they are available online doesn't mean that you have the right to use them. In fact, Google Images is not actually the owner of any of the images you find. If you cite Google Images as the source of your image, you are actually stating that you have violated copyright!

If you find a image you would like to use it is your responsibility to contact the copyright holder, get their permission to use the image, and document that image properly. Here is an example of a letter requesting permission to use a copyrighted image:

"Dear Sir,

I am writing regarding your copyrighted images of the cat skeleton on

http://a-s.clayton.edu/biology/biol3650l/skeletal/cat_skeleton.htm

I am a second year student studying osteoarchaeology at Cardiff University and was wondering if I could possibly use a couple of these images for my private identification project. This project would be marked but the images would not be reproduced and would only be used by myself.

I hope that this could be possible,

Thank you for your time"

Notice that this person has indicated the specific images that he/she would like to use as well as the exact purpose that those images will be used for. It may also be a good idea to ask the copyright owner how the image should be documented (e.g., should you provide the exact URL of the image or some other reference). Some web sites that provide publicly available images provide you with the format you should use when you use one of their images. The one type of image you don't need to document is the clipart that is provided with many programs like Microsoft Word of PowerPoint, because the publisher is providing those images for your free use.

Here are some web sites with free images available for your use:

	BioMEDIA Associates
	BIODIDAC
	iBAND
	FreeFoto