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Finding & Using Images in Research

Introduction

There are great deal of images on the internet - and it's overwhelming! Before you start your search, think about:

  • What type of visual evidence will help support the claims in my paper or project?
  • How will the image help my reader better understand my topic or argument?
  • How will I incorporate analysis of the image into my work?

When using an image, do your due diligence to find its source so you can properly credit the maker in your work. This may entail some sleuthing if the image you found is on social media or reposted from somewhere else on a website. 

Instead of first turning to Google Images, here are some good places to start your search for high-quality images that are okay to use for educational purposes:

Digital Public Library of America

James H. Karales. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1962. Photograph. Digital Public Library of America.

Library of Congress

H.R. Page & Co, and Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Chicago. Chicago to San Francisco via the Burlington Route.1879. Map. The Library of Congress.

Newportal

Charles Frederick Worth. Lady's ball gown. c. 1890. Newportal.

JSTOR/ARTSOR Images

March To Impeach Nixon. 1974. Courtesy of the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery. JSTOR.

J. Paul Getty Museum

Unknown artist/maker. Bust of a Woman. c. A.D. 130. Marble. Getty Museum.

British Museum

Gold belt buckle, Sutton Hoo Ship Burial. c. early 7th century. Gold, niello. The British Museum.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Tripod incense burner with lid. China. Early 15th century, Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Cloisonné and champlevé enamel. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/666573. Accessed April 17, 2025.

Europeana

A Levite sacrificing. c. 1275-1300. KB, National Library of the Netherlands, Europeana.  https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/9200122/BibliographicResource_1000056126711

Smithsonian Open Access

William Bradford. Whaler Off the Vineyard--Outward Bound. 1859. Oil on fiberboard. Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Smithsonian Collections Search, https://www.si.edu/object/whaler-vineyard-outward-bound:saam_1978.72. Accessed April 17, 2025.

NASA Image & Video Library

Dumbell Nebula. 2011. NASA Images, https://images.nasa.gov/details/PIA14417.

National Institute of General Medical Sciences Image & Video Gallery

CRISPR Illustration Frame 2. National Institute of General Medical Sciences, https://images.nigms.nih.gov/pages/DetailPage.aspx?imageid2=6486#. 

NOAA Digital Collections

A bobtail squid. NOAA OKEANOS EXPLORER Program; Our Deepwater Backyard. 2014. NOAA Digital Collections, https://www.noaa.gov/digital-collections/collections/4587/item?page=1.

Wikimedia Commons

Jose María Ligero Loarte. Old town of Buitrago del Lozoya (Community of Madrid, central Spain) from the northwest and Lozoya river. 2021. Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reflejo_del_Casco_Antiguo_--_2021_--_Buitrago_del_Lozoya,_Madrid,_Espa%C3%B1a_01.jpg.