15 Attribution of Images and Openly-Licensed Content

TASL

A Creative Commons license (CC) can be placed on a wide range of content, including images, videos, text, graphics, etc., indicating to potential re-users what they are allowed to do with your work. You will need to attribute any openly-licensed resources you use in your text.

A proper attribution contains the following parts:

• Title of the work assigned by the creator and hyperlinked to the original source.
• Author or creator of the work and hyperlinked to the author’s or creator’s site (e.g., website or Flickr account if available).
• Source: hyperlinked back to the creator or original website where the image was found.
• License: the hyperlinked name of the license and version.

Who gets attribution for an image?

It is important to understand who to give credit to for an image. Frequently, especially for a work in the public domain, it is not the artist or photographer who created the original work. Instead, you must attribute the individual who created the version of the work that you are using in your book or educational resource. For example, a photograph of a painting is considered a secondary source or interpretation of the original painting. You will need to credit the photographer in the attribution statement, not the painter.

Should items in the public domain be attributed?

Resources for which copyright has been designated to the public domain by the creator do not require that attribution be given to the creator. However, as a best practice, we encourage still crediting the author or artist for the resources they created. Taking this extra step does many things:

1. It shows respect and provides recognition for the individual who created and freely shared their creation.
2. It upholds academic integrity.
3. It ensures consistency in how a textbook is styled.
4. It leaves no doubt that the resource is open for use and provides future users with links and other information about the resource’s origins.