Image Reuse Tool

This guide is intended to assist the Tufts community in navigating image reuse. You are solely responsible for actions you take in reliance on this guide. 

 

Ask Us or consult with the Office of University Counsel with any further questions.

 

What do you need help with?
Did you take the picture or create the image yourself?
Are you the copyright holder?

An original work is automatically under copyright when it is created and no other steps are necessary to initiate your copyright.  However, if you signed an agreement with a publisher or other contractor regarding your work, review it to determine what rights, if any, you retained.

 

You may also look up the publisher in the SHERPA/RoMEO database to see typical contracts offered. For some publishers, you can also enter your article’s DOI in How Can I Share It to see what’s usually allowed.

 

In the future, consider amending the agreement you negotiate with a publisher/contractor in order to maintain copyright of your work.

Does the image state that your reuse is allowed?

For example, is this stated through a Creative Commons license, library subscription license, other contractual agreement, or is it in the public domain?

Great! You can reuse the image according to the specifications. Be sure to cite Creative Commons and public domain resources appropriately.

How do you intend to use the image?

Educational use is generally allowed under section 101(1) of the Copyright Act for in-classroom use of materials.

Public use or disclosure, including use in online distance learning programs, may not be covered by this exception.

If you are unsure about your specific use, consider the factors of fair use to determine if it is allowed. Fair use is the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement.

If fair use does not apply, try contacting the copyright holder directly for permission.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse.

Because these works are typically made openly available after submission, most notably in the Tufts Digital Library, permission from the rights holder may be necessary.

Many publishers allow permission requests directly from their website, particularly from where the full text is accessed. Others may broker requests through the Copyright Clearance Center. You may need to create a login.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse.

Consider the factors of fair use, the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement which may allow your use.

If not, many publishers accept permission requests directly from their websites, particularly from where the full text is accessed. Others may broker requests through the Copyright Clearance Center. You may need to create a login.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse. Be sure to cite the image you use!

Which library resource did you get the image from?
How do you intend to use the image?
Is the publisher of the publication where you intend to use the image a signatory to the STM Permissions Guidelines?
View more information about STM Permission Guidelines.

Great! You can reuse the image according to the STM Permission Guidelines for Elsevier.

Because these works are typically made openly available after submission, most notably in the Tufts Digital Library, permission from the rights holder may be necessary.
Consider the factors of fair use, the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement which may allow your use.

Contact McGraw Hill for permission to reuse.

Request permission through the Copyright Clearance Center. You may need to create a login.

If the material is not listed here, request permission directly from the publisher McGraw Hill at userservices@mhprofessional.com.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission.

Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse.

Because these works are typically made openly available after submission, most notably in the Tufts Digital Library, permission from the rights holder may be necessary.

Request permission through the Copyright Clearance Center. You may need to create a login. If the material is not listed here, request permission directly from the publisher McGraw Hill at userservices@mhprofessional.com.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse.

Consider the factors of fair use, the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement which may allow your use.

If not, request permission through the Copyright Clearance Center. You may need to create a login. If the material is not listed here, request permission from the publisher McGraw Hill at userservices@mhprofessional.com.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse. Be sure to cite the image you use!

Many of our library-subscription resources allow for educational reuse within the Tufts community, such as DynaMed Plus,  Britannica Image Quest,  Ovid,  AccessMedicine, and  ClinicalKey.   Ask Us about the reuse of images from other library resources.

If our licenses do not explicitedly allow for your use, consider the factors of fair use, the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement, among other things, to determine if your use is still allowed. If not, many publishers accept permission requests directly from their websites, particularly from where the full text is accessed. Others may broker requests through the Copyright Clearance Center. You may need to create a login. 

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse. Be sure to cite the image you use!

Was the image you would like to reuse published by a signatory to the STM Permissions Guidelines?
View more information about STM Permission Guidelines.

Educational use is generally allowed under section 101(1) of the Copyright Act for in-classroom use of materials.

Public use or disclosure, including use in online distance learning programs, may not be covered by this exception.

If you are unsure about your specific use, consider the factors of fair use to determine if it is allowed. Fair use is the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement.

If fair use does not apply, try contacting the copyright holder directly for permission.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse.

Because these works are typically made openly available after submission, most notably in the Tufts Digital Library, permission from the rights holder may be necessary.

Even though you utilized print materials, some publishers may allow permission requests from their website, particularly from where the full text is accessed. Others may broker requests through the Copyright Clearance Center. You may need to create a login.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse.

Consider the factors of fair use, the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement which may allow your use.

Fair use generally does not apply for publications, so images that are under copyright and have no explicit allowances for reuse will generally require permission from the rights holder in order to be reused in this way.

Look for the image attribution and contact that person/organization. Sites, like Flickr, let you message the contributor directly through their site.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse. Be sure to cite the image you use!

Educational use is generally allowed under section 101(1) of the Copyright Act for in-classroom use of materials.

Public use or disclosure, including use in online distance learning programs, may not be covered by this exception.

If you are unsure about your specific use, consider the factors of fair use to determine if it is allowed. Fair use is the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement.

If fair use does not apply, try contacting the copyright holder directly for permission. Look for the image attribution and contact that person/organization. Sites, like Flickr, let you message the contributor directly through their site.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse.

Because these works are typically made openly available after submission, most notably in the Tufts Digital Library, permission from the rights holder may be necessary.

Look for the image attribution and contact that person/organization. Sites, like Flickr, let you message the contributor directly through their site.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse. Be sure to cite the image you use!

Consider the factors of fair use, the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement which may allow your use.

If not, look for the image attribution and contact that person/organization. Sites, like Flickr, let you message the contributor directly through their site.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse. Be sure to cite the image you use!

Consider the factors of fair use, the balance in copyright law that addresses the importance of educational advancement which may allow your use.

If not, try contacting the copyright holder directly.

Ask Us if you are having trouble requesting permission. Alternatively, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse. Be sure to cite the image you use!

Are you using the image for in-person teaching, or for specific online learning situations or fair use circumstances covered under U.S. Copyright Law?

See information about copyright, and in particular as it relates to online teaching, and fair use.

Great!  You can reuse the image this way without seeking permission from the copyright holder.

 

Some library-subscribed resources, such as ClinicalKey and AccessMedicine, provide guidance for how to download and cite their images.

Seek permission to reuse this image.  If not granted, find a suitable substitute image that allows your reuse.