Figures often pull in icons, photographs, maps, or panels from earlier papers. Each of those may be copyrighted. Getting licensing right protects you, your co-authors, and your journal. This is general guidance, not legal advice — when in doubt, ask your institution's library or the rights holder.
The default: everything is copyrighted
Assume any image you find online is protected by copyright the moment it was created, whether or not it shows a copyright notice. "I found it on Google" is not a licence. You need either permission, an open licence, or to make the asset yourself.
Creative Commons licences, decoded
Creative Commons (CC) licences let creators grant reuse rights with conditions:
| Licence | You may | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| CC0 / Public Domain | Use freely, even commercially | No attribution required (but polite) |
| CC BY | Use and adapt | Must credit the creator |
| CC BY-SA | Use and adapt | Credit + share alike (same licence) |
| CC BY-NC | Use and adapt | Credit + non-commercial only |
| CC BY-ND | Use as-is | Credit + no derivatives |
Watch the NC trap: some argue a paywalled journal article is a commercial context, so NC-licensed images may not be safe there. When unsure, choose CC0/CC BY assets or get explicit permission.
Where to find safe assets
- Open icon and illustration libraries that state CC0 or CC BY licensing.
- Public-domain image repositories and government science image banks.
- Structures and data from open scientific databases (cite them properly).
- Best of all: make your own in Blender, Illustrator, or Inkscape so there is no question.
Reusing a figure from another paper
If you want to reproduce or adapt a published figure, you usually need permission from the publisher — many use an automated rights service (such as RightsLink) reachable from the article page. Request it early; approvals can take days. Note the required credit line exactly as the licence specifies.
How to attribute correctly
A good credit line includes the creator, the title or source, the licence, and a link. For example: "Icon by [creator], [source], CC BY 4.0." Put it in the figure caption or acknowledgements as the licence requires.
AI-generated images and rights
The legal status of AI-generated images is still unsettled, and many journals now require disclosure. We cover the practical and ethical issues in our guide to AI tools for scientific illustration.
Safest path: build original assets, or use CC0/CC BY material with clear attribution, and keep a record of every licence and permission.
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