Using free-to-use images from trusted sources helps to keep us compliant.
You are not free to copy any image from the internet or elsewhere and:
- publish on a Griffith website or on Griffith social media
- include in journal article or book chapter
- include in a conference presentation or publication
- include in a report, teaching material or any other resource that is distributed outside of Griffith
- publish on an openly accessible blog or on the internet, for example, as part of a student assignment
- include in a Griffth micro-credential course unless the Copyright and Information Policy Officer has granted prior permission for that course.
Unless otherwise stated, some person or company owns the copyright in the image, and it is your legal responsibility to get written permission or a licence from them before you use it.
Find free-to-use images
These sites provide images that are free-to-use because they have an open sharing licence such as Creative Commons (CC0)Â or are free from copyright restrictions.
Some images are licensed Public Domain or CC0, which means you may adapt and use them even commercially without attribution. Remember to always attribute those images licensed under the other Creative Commons licenses.
- Enter your search terms.
- Click on All content, then select Images.
- Click the search icon or use Enter on your keyboard.
- Use the filters in the right-hand column to narrow your search to those images with the Creative Commons licenses that match your intended use.
You can source free-to-use images by doing an Advanced Google Search and restricting the search to Creative Commons licensed images.
Access Google Advanced Image Search
- Enter your search terms.
- In the Usage rights field, select Creative Commons licences from the pull-down menu.
- Click the Advanced Search button.
- Check the particular Creative Commons licence on the webpage where the image is published to confirm it matches your intended use.
If you are searching for images in a particular field such as nursing, try googling “Free images nursing” to find websites dedicated to free-to-use nursing images.Â
Ensure you check the Creative Commons licensing for each image.
Some images are licensed Public Domain or CC0, which means you may adapt and use them even commercially without attribution. Remember to always attribute those images licensed under the other Creative Commons licenses.
There are many quality images on Pixabay that are free to use:
- Avoid images that are for sale or part of a free subscription trial.
- Some images are Public Domain or CC0, while others have the Pixabay licence.
- The Pixabay licence permits you to adapt and use the image for free even commercially without having to attribute the creator though attribution is appreciated. There are several licence restrictions.
This site contains free to use high resolution photos. You may adapt and use these without attribution even commercially though attribution is appreciated.
This site contains images that are free to use images you use these without attribution even commercially though attribution is appreciated. The licence does not include adaptation use.
Attribution
Remember to attribute all images. Attribution is a fundamental requirement for licence use for all Creative Commons licences except with the Public Domain licence. Legal Firms representing copyright owners demand an infringement payment from universities when images are published without the required licence or permission or for the copyright breach when a staff member publishes a Creative Commons image without attribution. If you receive a Letter of Demand or Claim for copyright infringement you should immediately contact Legal Services.
Attributions should include the following information if provided near the image you are using:
- any copyright notice supplied by the licensor
- the licensor(s) name(s)—normally the creator but could be an employer
- the title of the work—not the website
- the URL for the work—for online material
- the type of Creative Commons license and its specific URL.
For example: Mountain Laurel by Jason Hollinger available under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 2.0 Generic licence.
If the creator wants an attribution worded a certain way, make sure those wishes are followed. If you change a work in any way, you create an adaptation, or a derivative work. Any attribution to the original work must acknowledge this through phrasing such as "This work is a derivative of..." or "This work is based on...."
When using a referencing style such as APA 7, include all attribution requirements.
Creative Commons licence summary
Creative Commons licenses by JoKalliauer; foter. This infographic is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Before using images in your work:
- Make sure you check the licence terms under which you may publish each image before using.
- Adhere to all attribution requirements.
Contact us
Contact the Copyright and Information Policy Officer