Skip to Main Content
Eastern Michigan University Halle Library

Creative Commons Licenses

A quick overview of Creative Commons licenses and how to use them when sharing your work.

Attribution Examples

There is no single correct way to provide attribution for Creative Commons–licensed works. The examples below demonstrate several acceptable formats using the same image. Consistency and completeness matter more than style.
 

Example photo of the Michigan City Lighthouse used to illustrate different attribution formats.
Photo by Matt Morse, used under CC BY-SA 3.0.

 

 

All of these examples are correct—choose one format and apply it consistently throughout your work.

Attribution Placement

The placement of attributions depends on where and how you share your work. The chart below provides suggestions for different media types.

Example chart showing recommended placement of Creative Commons attributions for different media types.
Image from Attributing Creative Commons Materials , published by Creative Commons Australia and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 AU.

When in doubt, include as much information as possible (creator, title, source, and license) and apply a consistent format across your work.