Using images, tables & other visual material in your work

Many pieces of software such as Word or Powerpoint include libraries of clip art for users to add to their work. Libraries of clip art may also be available online, although some of these might be services that you need to pay to use. Clip art is typically used as decoration.

Using clip art

Clip art requires no other information in its caption than a rights attribution. And the way clip art is licenced means that even an attribution may not be necessary. If clip art requires an attribution, it will say so.

There may be a few occasions when the normal rules around using captions applies to clip art. This tends to be when clip art is being used for something other than being purely decorative

For example:

• You use clip art to create or build your own original figures
• You are using the clip art as evidence or an example in your work. For instance, you are studying representation in clip art.