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Library Resources: Multimedia

Images

Basic steps to take to find images:

  • Check who owns it
  • Get permission to use it
  • Give credit to the creator
  • Buy it (if necessary)
  • Use it responsibly

Can I just use an image I find on a website for my project?

You may need to get permission in order to use any image for your project. When you have permission, you also need to provide attribution for those images. See if the copyright holder has a preference for how to attribute that image. If not, write "Used with Permission." and the copyright holder's name.

You definitely don’t need to get permission, if (and only if):

  • The work is in the public domain. This includes items published before 1923 or works published 1923-1963 whose copyright was not renewed. Learn more about the public domain - http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
  • The work has been permitted for use by the creator using Creative Commons licensing. There are several creative commons licenses which all permit use for academic work, but some restrict the ability to “remix” the creator’s original work. Learn more about Creative Commons Licenses - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
  • Your project falls under the criteria for “fair use” (note: if your project will be available on the internet, your use of the image will not fall under fair use). Fair use allows for limited uses of copyrighted works without permission from the creator or that work.

 

Enter your search query:

use for commercial purposes;
modify, adapt, or build upon.


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If your project will be available on the internet, finding images in the public domain or with creative commons licensing can take the stress out of finding images that are able to be used online. 

Consider taking your own images for your project (and protecting them with your own Creative Commons license) or using one of the search engines below.

When do I cite an image?

Any time you use any works that are not your own, you need to provide a citation. Citation shows the research you have done, strengthens and supports your argument, allows your audience to trace the original item for follow up, and differentiates your original ideas from the work of others.

  • How to cite an image in APA style:

Image creator's Last Name, First Name. (Year images was made). Title of image in italics [medium of image - i.e file type]. Retrieved from http://.....

  • How to cite an image in MLA style:

Image creator's Last Name, First Name. Title of image in italics. Date of creation. File Type.

  • How to cite an image in Chicago style:

Image creator's Last Name, First Name. Title of image in italics. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication, Type of Image, URL (date accessed) [if electronic].

Music

You may need to get permission in order to use the music for your project

You definitely don’t need to get permission, if (and only if):

  • The work is in the public domain. This includes items published before 1923 or works published 1923-1963 whose copyright was not renewed. Learn more about the public domain - http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
  • The work has been permitted for use by the creator using Creative Commons licensing. There are several creative commons licenses which all permit use for academic work, but some restrict the ability to “remix” the creator’s original work. Learn more about Creative Commons Licenses - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
  • Your project falls under the criteria for “fair use” (note: if your project will be available on the internet, your use of the image will not fall under fair use). Fair use allows for limited uses of copyrighted works without permission from the creator or that work.

Consider creating your own music for your project (and protecting it with your own Creative Commons license) or using one of the search engines below:

Any time you use any works that are not your own, you need to provide a citation. Citation shows the work you have done, strengthens and supports your argument, allows your audience to trace the original item for follow up, and differentiates your original ideas from the work of others.

  • How to cite music in APA style

Name of music creator, A. A. (Year of creation). Title of music [Audio file] Retrieved from http://.....

 

  • How to cite Chicago style

            - Chicago Manual of Style from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Cite a score as you would a book in Chicago style:

Composer last name, first name. Title of score. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication (or n.d. if there is no date).

For example:

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. The piano sonatas and fantasies. New York: E. Kalmus, 1968.

(From The Chicago Manual of Style)

Cite a music recording in Chicago style:

Composer last name, first name. Title of musical recording. Essential performer(s) first name, last name. Record label CD identifying number. Year. Format.

--Essential performers can include soloists, conductor, or ensemble

For example:

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Piano sonatas. Christoph Eschenbach. Deutsche Grammophon 463 137-2, 1999. CD.

  • How to cite MLA style

          - MLA Formatting and Style Guide at Purdue's Online Writing Lab

          - How to cite sound recordings in MLA - Purdue OWL

 

Cite a score as you would a book in MLA style:
Composer last name, first name. Title as it appears on title page (italicized and capitalize the abbreviations No. and Op.). Date of composition (or N.d. if there is no date). Place of publication: Publisher, Date of publication. Print (or Online). If the score is part of a series, include the series name.

For example:

Donizetti, Gaetano. Don Pasquale: An Opera in Three Acts with Italian-English Text. 1842. New York: Belwin, 1959. Print. Kalmus Vocal Scores.

(From MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing)

Citation Resources