A licence and citation check before download
A library may offer several licensing models at once. Do not rely on a platform homepage or a general statement about “stock.” Preserve the conditions tied to the individual file, account, transaction date and intended use. Terms can change; a contemporaneous record makes the decision traceable.
Treat assessment and publication as different contexts
A thesis can pass through several audiences. It may first reach a small examination panel through a restricted system, then move to an open repository, conference deck, website or book. Review each route. Permission for an internal PDF does not automatically determine worldwide public access or a publisher’s use.
Section 31 of the German Copyright Act illustrates that rights of use can be non-exclusive or exclusive and limited by place, time or content. The particular licence and contractual purpose therefore matter. Record the real medium, accessibility and distribution instead of assuming that all academic uses form one category.
If later publication is undecided, place a rights flag in the production notes: “Recheck licence before repository deposit.” This prevents a file cleared for examination from drifting into a broader release. Selecting an openly licensed alternative at the start can reduce future friction, but its conditions still need documentation.
Connect the licence record with scholarly attribution
Neither “stock photo” nor a provider’s name makes the image retrievable. A caption can read: “Fig. 6: [photographer], [title or subject], image ID [number], [provider], [direct item URL], licence [name or contract reference], accessed/acquired [date]; cropped by the author.” Add a public licence link when one exists.
A licence that does not require visible attribution does not erase academic provenance. Readers may still need to understand selection and locate the version. Whether the full record appears in the caption, figure list or separate source list depends on the citation style and institutional rules. The link to the figure must remain unambiguous.
If photographer information differs between the item page, metadata and receipt, resolve the discrepancy rather than guessing. Section 13 of the German Copyright Act protects recognition of authorship and the author’s choice of designation. Read any provider-supplied credit line carefully.
A stock licence does not settle every right in the subject
Section 22 of the German Art Copyright Act begins from consent for distributing or publicly displaying a person’s likeness, subject to statutory exceptions and limits. A stock provider may display release information. Do not copy that status to visually similar files; connect it to the correct image identifier.
Even a documented release does not make every caption appropriate. A neutral portrait paired with a claim about illness, political allegiance or personal experience can falsely imply that the depicted individual has that attribute. Keep image and caption from creating an unsupported identification. Children and health-related or stigmatising topics require particular care.
Document crops, composites and the image’s academic function
Check whether the licence permits the planned modifications and whether it restricts stand-alone resale, logo use or particular contexts. A crop can also change meaning. Retain the source file and describe significant editing in the caption. A stock image used only as a background remains a third-party component of the new figure.
Ask why the photograph is present. If the thesis analyses stock imagery, the particular visual may be evidence. As decoration, it can add rights and source-management work without contributing to the argument. An original diagram or appropriately licensed icon may communicate more effectively.
For a composite, list each borrowed component. Check that the licences are compatible with one another and with the intended distribution of the result. Label your annotations so that they are not attributed to the photographer.
Maintain a small licence archive for future review
- Preserve the item page, licence text and acquisition date.
- Record image ID, photographer, filename and file variant.
- Keep a receipt reference without publishing passwords or payment data.
- Name source and edited versions separately.
- Compare credit wording and placement with the licence.
- Attach release information to the exact file record.
- Schedule reassessment before repository deposit, publication or a public talk.
The archive belongs in an approved working location, not wholesale in the public thesis. The submission needs the required source and licence trail. The media citations hub covers other visual formats. The foundation guide to academic writing and evidence places image provenance in general source practice. For openly licensed alternatives, cite a Creative Commons image with TASL.