What is Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is a system of Copyright licencing that allows the legal use and reuse of media. When you see a Creative Commons license, it means that the copyright holder of that work has decided to share their work with you—and with everyone else.
There are six different Creative Commons licences and it is important that before you use a Creative Commons image, you know which licence it has. The licence will determine whether you can use it or not, depending on your purpose.
Note. Adapted from How to Attribute Creative Commons Photos [Image], by Foter, 2015, Foter Blog (https://foter.com/blog/how-to-attribute-creative-commons-photos/). CC BY-SA 3.0.
Accessing Creative Commons images
You can search through over 500 million Creative Commons images here.
Remember to check the licence, particularly if you want to modify the image.
Referencing a Creative Commons image for undergraduates
(Postgraduates see here.)
Images with Creative Commons licences require attribution. This means you must acknowledge the creator and the licence with which they've allowed you to use the image.
The reference is the same as a non-Creative Commons image, but the in-text citation is different.
Reference entry
Image creator. (Year, Month day). Title of image in italic sentence case / [Descriptive title in italic sentence case] [Format]. Name of Website. URL
williamcho. (2010, January 10). 'Castle Beach' - Singapore [Photograph].
Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/84493444@N00/4268489129
Reference list entry
williamcho. (2010, January 10). 'Castle Beach' -Singapore [Photograph]. Flickr.
In-text citations
Narrative
As shown in Figure 1 ...
Parenthetical
... castle building (see Figure 1).
In-text citation
Licence attribution is used as well as an in-text citation underneath the image.
(Image creator, Year). Creative Commons license.
(williamcho, 2010). CC BY-SA 2.0
Example
Figure 1
'Castle Beach' - Singapore
(williamcho, 2010). CC BY-SA 2.0.
Referencing an image in the public domain for undergraduates
(Postgraduates see here.)
If the licence connected with the image is accompanied by a 
or 
symbol, it is in the public domain and is not copyrighted.
Public domain photos and images are free to use, but you must credit the creator. It is treated the same as any other image under a Creative Commons licence.
The reference is the same as a non-Creative Commons image, but the in-text citation is different.
Reference entry
Image creator. (Year, Month day). Title of image in italic sentence case/[Descriptive title in italic sentence case] [Format]. Name of Website. URL
doublefire1. (2014, December 7). Cat [Photograph]. Flickr.
Reference list entry
doublefire1. (2014, December 7). Cat [Photograph]. Flickr.
In-text citations
Narrative
As shown in Figure 1 ...
Parenthetical
... feline behaviour (see Figure 1).
In-text citation
License attribution is used as well as an in-text citation underneath the image.
(Image creator, Year). Creative Commons license.
(Denali National Park and Preserve, 2013). CC BY 2.0
Example
Note: written assignments require a figure number and image title. Visual presentations do not.
Figure 1
Cat
(doublefire1, 2014). CC0 1.0.
