The words "attribution" and "citation" are sometimes used interchangeably. However, with digital images, the words can have slightly different meanings.
- Attribution: The act of establishing a particular person as the creator of a work of art.
- Attribution has to do with acknowledging the person/s who hold the copyright licence of an image.
- You would attribute an image used in presentations, papers or other formats that do not require a specific citation style.
- For example, if you use a digital image (e.g. a photograph you found on Flickr to enhance a PowerPoint presentation) you need to attribute the photograph to the photographer.
- Citation: The act of acknowledging the work of another within a scholarly context.
- If you are writing an academic paper, and use an image to support an idea, then cite that image according to a particular citiation style (e.g. Chicago, Turabian or APA 7th).
More information about citing images can be found on the Citing and Referencing Library Guide: