Academic Image Use
Images often play an important role in scholarly research. Depending on the topic of research, textual documents from books, journals, and websites may not be sufficient. You may need a scientific photograph, a piece of art, a
Academic Image Use
Images often play an important role in scholarly research. Depending on the topic of research, textual documents from books, journals, and websites may not be sufficient. You may need a scientific photograph, a piece of art, a map, or a graph to prove your point.
This page introduces you to the major aspects of image location, creation, and use. For more information on finding and using images, please contact Emily Cook, Instructional Design Specialist at the University Library.
For more information on visual literacy, contact Access Services Librarian, Elizabeth Teaff.
For more information about copyright’s impact on media use, contact Elizabeth Teaff.
The following sections outline the process of an effective media search–a process that includes the identification of project need and the location of appropriate resources.
Identifying Your Need
Before you conduct your image search, consider the following:
- What is the purpose of the image within your project? Will it be as illustration, evidence, primary source, focus of analysis, critique, or commentary?
- What is your intended audience?
- What is the environment for your project (e.g., academic vs. web page)?
- What specific criteria should your image meet (e.g., subject, pictorial content, color, resolution)?
- Are there discipline-specific conventions for image use?
- What image sources will you choose from (e.g., digital, print, subscription databases, web, books or articles, repositories, or personal creations)?
Items to consider as you start your search:
- Since images can come from different media types and materials, do not exclude the possible use of paintings, prints, photographs, or born-digital images.
- You can use images to communicate data and information (e.g., charts, graphs, maps, diagrams, models, renderings, or elevations).
- Existing images can be modified or repurposed to produce new visual content.
- Your image search may be affected by image rights and use restrictions.
- What role does textual information play in using images (e.g., captions or other descriptions, personal or user-generated tags, creator information, repository names, keywords, or descriptions of visual content)?
Adapted from the ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
Resolution is a measure of the sharpness and detail in an image or optical system. Resolution is measured by DPI (dots per inch). More details.
Understanding File Types
- Aliasing: A distortion or artifact that results from po