Documenting sources for images can be challenging, but there is some basic information that you will always need to account for in your citations:
If you found the image in a book you will need the author, title, publisher information, date, and page, figure or plate number of the reproduction
If you found the image online you will need an access date, the web site address (URL) and in some cases an image ID number.
Use the box to your right to help cite these sources using the MLA Citation style.
Documenting sources for images can be challenging, especially with the variety of new electronic and web-based resources now available.
Examples below are based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
Note for MLA: Cite the artist's name, title (usually italicized), the institution or individual who owns the work, and the city. If you want to indicate the work's date, include it after the title. For a work of art you viewed online, end your citation with your date of access and the URL.
Here's some more helpful information:
Works of art reproduced in a printed source:
Artist’s last name, first name. Title of art work in italics. Date of art work.
Institution where art work is housed (if known), city where housed if
not already named. Title of printed source in italics. By Author of printed
source. Place of publication: publisher, date. Page or plate/figure/slide
number. Print.
Example:
Cassatt, Mary. Mother and Child . Wichita Art Museum. c.1890. American Painting: 1560-
1913 . By John Pearce. New York: McGraw, 1964. Slide 22. Print.
Works of art reproduced in electronic source:
Artist’s last name, first name. Title of art work in italics. Date of art work.
Institution where art work is housed (if known), city where housed if not
already named. Database or web site name. Web. Day month year
accessed.
Example:
Monet, Claude. Meadow with Haystacks at Giverny. 1885. Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston. ARTstor. Web. 22 October 2004.
In general, images copied from elsewhere that are reproduced in faculty/student papers or projects and which are available to only a limited classroom or conference audience, fall within the scope of fair use. Copies of images that are made available for the public at large, for commercial purposes (including publishing), or for an indefinite period of time usually require copyright clearance. Permissions or waivers from the copyright holder(s) and/or owners of the image(s) must be obtained. No matter what the circumstance, images copied from elsewhere need to be properly identified and cited.
The following links connect to information that help you determine whether or not permissions need to be sought.
