Research Guides: Image Use & Citation: Start Here

Citing Images is Important!

If you use an image in your work, you must cite it! This includes papers, presentations, theses/dissertations, publications, blogs, etc. You must give credit where credit is due. Library Databases and the Creative Commons are great resources to find & use images. Use this guide to help you use and cite images correctly. Cite & avoid committing plagiarism!

Note: Unless the image is in the Public Domain or under a Creative Commons License - ALWAYS ASK FOR PERMISSION TO USE!

"Thief" by Nina Paley /CC BY-SA 3.0

Databases: These Provide Image Citation

You can use these image databases to find the citation information already completed for you - listed from most useful to least. As always, double check the citation to make sure it is correct in your required citation format. Often the format, punctuation, & information is incorrect - it is worth double checking.

New York Public Library (NYPL) Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
Explore over 700,000 items digitized from The New York Public Library's collections. New materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.

Library of Congress Digital Collection
Find digital versions of prints, posters, paintings, architectural drawings, and so much more.

American West
From early topographical sketches and pioneers’ accounts, to photographs of Buffalo Bill and his ‘Wild West’ stars, explore the fact and the fiction of westward expansion in America from the early eighteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Browse a wide range of rare and original documents including printed books, journals, historic maps, broadsides, periodicals, advertisements, photographs, artwork and more.
Google Art Project This link opens in a new window
Discover and explore artworks, collections, and stories from all around the world with Google Arts & Culture, created by Google Cultural Institute.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources. JSTOR provides access to a variety of titles from multiple publishers in a single platform that helps people discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching platform. (MSU does not have full-text access to all JSTOR content.)
JSTOR has temporarily opened access to all primary source content. Full JSTOR access to this content is available through June 30, 2022.
Tutorial: http://about.jstor.org/video-tutorials
Metropolitan Museum of Art collection This link opens in a new window
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. Take part in The Met experience by exploring its collections online. The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries, revealing new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.
Mississippi State University Libraries Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
Web interface to the digital collections of the Mississippi State University Libraries.

Library update: Recent database changes

Image Use & Citation

Creative Inquiry Coordinator

Citing Images is Important!

Databases: These Provide Image Citation