Research Foundations: Find & Attribute Images

Let's say you find a great image and need to give attribution, or credit, for the image.

You will need four parts to give a successful attribution: title, author, license, and source. An easy to remember acronym is TALL - Title, Author, License, and Links. This model of giving credit is from the "Best practices for attribution" by Creative Commons. Here is an example of an image with attribution:

"hippopotamuses" by vuturistic / CC BY-NC 2.0

Title: "hippopotamuses"
Author: vuturistic
​License: CC BY-NC 2.0
Links: title, author, and license are hyperlinked

For title and author, follow the capitalization, spelling, and punctuation of the image. Some image creators, like in the example above, do not have their real name listed, just a username. Other times, you may find the first and last name of the author. Images posted by organizations or company may not have a particular named author, so a corporate name is appropriate to use.

The hyperlinked source allows others to view the original posted image and learn about the author. In addition, the license is hyperlinked to provide further information how others can use this image.

Many of the free images and audio available on through the following websites will have a Creative Commons license. Most creators will require attribution, or credit, for using their works.

Photography and Clipart

Music and Sound Effects