The Great Usurper

Hello.

Let's say I'm writing a serious essay--pretend it's something scientific that makes me look intelligent. Let's also pretend that I need a picture of an atom, for example, and that I find the perfect picture by using some simple means like Google image search. Now if I want to use that picture in my essay, do I only need to give credit to the website, or do I need to actually contact the website owner and explicitly ask for permission?

aspiring

What is this essay for? Is it for school/college/university? If yes, then all you need to do is to include the source in your essay - either as a footnote or in your bibliography (check your institution's guidelines)

If it is for a non-fiction book, then you need to get permission from the website owner.

Unless your essay is being published, you don't need to ask permission, just credit the source properly.

The Great Usurper

The essay is for a non-fiction book. You answered my question perfectly.

mammamaia

for the official skinny on such stuff, either consult a literary attorney or check the FAQ section at the source:

in the us
www.copyright.gov

in the uk
www.bl.uk

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