What is a "born digital" image?

We call an image "born digital" if:

• It was created (e.g. digital camera, computer screen capture program, desktop scanner) in digital form for the Web
• Or you do not know where the image itself (not the place or object in it) is physically stored

How do I evaluate an image creator?

Search the creator's name to evaluate how his portfolio, expertise and point of view relate to your subject. A credible artist or photographer may have:

• First-hand knowledge of a place or people
• Seen or participated in events
• A degree or certification in the medium used
• A body of work, exhibitions or publications in a related field

How do I evaluate a "born digital" photograph?

A photograph can be both a fine art and a visual record, but it is never entirely objective. A photographer has a point of view and makes visual choices (time, place, perspective, color and lighting) for a purpose or to make an argument.

We view a photo from our own frames of reference, shaped by cultural and personal meanings. To "read" and evaluate a photograph, ask:

• What do I see (observations)?
• What might it mean (inferences)?
• How does it make me feel?
• Why might this photo have been taken?
• What might be the photographer's intent (e.g., to persuade, analyze, record or document, or as an artistic expression)?
• What is out of the picture? What might be missing?

Has my photograph been manipulated?

Personal and professional photographs are frequently staged, cropped or altered:

• For dramatic or aesthetic impact
• To correct imperfections (e.g., red eye, exposure setting, color correction)
• To deceive the viewer

You can compare shadows on similar objects to see if the light source is consistent. Another method is to draw lines to check the light source.

• Draw a line that connects a point on a shadow with its corresponding point on the object.
• Repeat for all the shadows in a photo.
• If the shadows are real, the lines will either intersect or be parallel, indicating the location of the light source.

Tip: Slight errors in matching points to shadows might throw the lines off slightly, but large discrepancies indicate editing.

What is an image collection?

• An image collection about a subject
• A portfolio on a photo-sharing site (e.g., Flickr, Picassa Web Albums, SmugMug, Snapfish)
• An album on a social networking site (e.g., Facebook, Google+, Twitpic)
• A subscription service which resells and licenses images from many sources

How do I evaluate an image collection?

• What kind of image editing is permitted?
• How are images contributed or selected?
• Why would this organization publish these images?

How do I cite a born digital image on the open Web?

• Permanent URL
• Name of website
• Photographer or artist
• Date of e-publication or copyright
• Title of image (if untitled, provide a description)
• Publisher of website
• Identifier / image ID ,if given

Tip: In Flickr, mouse-over the date that the photo was taken to get the date of e-publication.

How do I cite a born digital image in a subscription database?

Gather elements from the vendor's record:

• Database name
• Title of image
• Photographer or artist
• Identifier / image ID
• Date of access
• Permanent URL
• Name of publisher / vendor
• Date of publication or copyright

How do I cite an image that I found using a search engine?

A search engine's result points to a source on the Web.

Cite the source, not the search engine result.

• Click the URL link (Bing) or "Website for this image" (Google)
• Cite the Web page on which the image is found