University of New England - Innovation for a Healthier Planet

Research Help

Finding and Using Images

It is easy to find images online, but most are covered by copyright. There are library and open-source sources for copyright-free images that you can use in your academic work, even if you intend to publish.

Finding Images

Library Resources

Images from our online library resources can normally be used in educational presentations if you cite the source (called attribution). You can find the citation with the downloaded image.

Resources for finding images include:

Open Resources

Open resources include images in the public domain as well as those published under a Creative Commons License, which grants permission to use a copyrighted work. Learn more about Creative Commons Licenses.

Flickr and Flickr: The Commons
Images available for use with attribution requested.
Getty Open Content Program
Public Domain and available images. Using Getty Open Content Images
Google Images
Images results can be filtered by Creative Commons license.
MedPix
Images available from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) for personal and educational use.
Pixabay
Free images and illustrations. Terms of Service
Wikimedia Commons
Most images may be used with attribution

Using Images

Even if an image is available for your use you still must include a citation or attribution to avoid plagiarism. See our citation style guides for help citing images.

Learn More

Finding and Using Openly Licensed Images: A Quick Guide for Students by Rachael Nevins

Questions & Help

If you have questions on this, or another, topic, contact a librarian for help!