Before using, reproducing, or manipulating an image in an assignment or research paper you must obtain the permission of the copyright holder of an image. In certain cases blanket permission for educational purposes is granted in advance through the terms of a database license or the terms described by the online collection's owner. This is the case for databases available through York University Libraries. When dealing with freely available and viewable collections on the internet, look for information about copyright, a license statement, terms and conditions, or permissions. This may give blanket permission for educational purposes, instruct you to check copyright terms for each image, or ask that you contact the image owner for permission to use it. In some cases, you may be required to pay a usage fee.
A growing number of online images are being published with Creative Commons licenses (for example, many of the images on Flickr and Wikimedia Commons). These licenses are designed to give copyright holders a range of permission options for digital intellectual property and in most cases allow for educational use. If you would like to alter an image or incorporate elements of an image into a new art work, you should examine the license for details of how you are allowed to use the image. To see the license, click on the Creative Commons logo or the Creative Commons License link.
You will sometimes see images described as being "in the public domain." This refers to works that belong to the community at large, are not protected by copyright, and may be appropriated by anyone. For example, in Canada, most works pass into the public domain after fifty years following the end of the calendar year in which the author died. However, it is important to realize that while a work may be in the public domain, a specific edition or image of the work may be under copyright.
Adapted from: https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/research-assistance/format-type/online-images/copyright
For information about copyright at York University, please see Copyright and You:
Though you may obtain permission to use an image, you must still credit the copyright holder. In some cases, you will be instructed to attribute the image to an institution that owns the copyright.
Conform as closely as possible to the structure and examples below with the information you have available. Consult a style guide for more detailed explanations and for exceptions (such as images without a listed date or creator). Make sure to also track your research by recording the following information:
Adapted from: https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/research-assistance/format-type/online-images/citing
For information about how to cite images consult the appropriate style guide i.e. MLA, APA, etc.