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Graphic Design: Find Internet Resources

This guide provides quick access to quality resources relevant to Graphic Design

Recommended Websites

Images

Use these web-based repositories to search for content that is free to use and share. Remember to check the license terms and include a credit -- Giving credit is a fundamental component of academic integrity.

Images with a CC0 license do not require a credit. They are free to use without attribution unless credit is required by your instructor.

CC0 images are an excellent option for brochures and posters

Use this NSCC Library IMAGE subscription resource for personal, non-commercial, or nonprofit educational purposes. Credit is required.

Citing Images

NSCC Guidelines

  • Crediting your sources is a fundamental component of Academic Integrity.
  • When your assignments include images that you have copied you must cite the source.
  • Support for creating APA references and citations is available from Campus Librarians.
  • Web-based support can be found on the NSCC APA web-based guide

Credits vs References

  • A credit line under a visual is the equivalent of an in-text citation. It provides acknowledgment to the creator and the source of the copied image in your text.
  • The reference list is the complete list of all the sources you have used and cited in the creation of your document.
  • The full bibliographic reference to the image should be included in your reference list.
  • This is the same treatment you give to ideas and content you have used to write your document.

Creating Brochures for Assignments?

  • Your credit for images does not have to impact your design.
  • Use a small type size and place the references in their own separate section on the brochure.
  • A well created reference is easy for the reader (your instructor) to link to the images you have used.
  • If you purchased visual content under a license, or are using photographs you took yourself, you don't need to include attribution unless this is a requirement for your assignment.

Creative Commons ~ CC

  • Using a image with a Creative Commons license?
  • Include the CC license type in the credit and reference.
  • For more information on Creative Commons go to the Creative Commons section of the Open Educational Resources guide.

Evaluate Your Research Materials

It is important to find credible print and online resources. When evaluating information, ask yourself the following questions:

Currency        What is the date of the information? Is the information recent, or have there been newer updates?

Relevancy      Why are you choosing this resource? Is this resource general or specific?

Accuracy        Is this information correct? Can it be verified? Is it complete? Are there citations included in the information?

Authority        Is the author, creator, or organization identified? What are their credentials?

Purpose        Who is the intended audience? Is the site trying to sell anything? What biases does the author have

                        and how do they affect the resource?

Purdue Libraries. (2020, November 4). Evaluating sources: How to evaluate sources [Video]. https://youtu.be/KYrMC8ZaKA8

There are many methods for evaluating information. Two of the more popular methods are the CRAAP (currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, purpose) test and CARS (credible, accurate, reasonable, support) evaluation method.

Snowden Library. Lycoming College. (2020, July 21). Evaluating online sources with the CRAAP test [Video]. https://youtu.be/Q8zRBdKlszE

The goal of peer review is to assess the quality of information within an article. Peer-reviewed articles may go through the following:

  • The author submits their article to an editor who forwards it to experts for review. These experts are considered to be the author’s peers (peer-review). 
  • These reviewers carefully evaluate the quality of the information.
  • The peer reviewers check the article for accuracy and assess the validity or quality of the information.
  • The reviewers may suggest revisions or edits. If the article does not meet established standards for a given discipline, it is rejected.
  • Peer-reviewed articles that are accepted for publication demonstrate the best research practices in a field.

Features of a Peer-Reviewed Article

Infographic highlighting the features of a peer-reviewed article.

Where to Find Peer-Reviewed Articles

Search your library's article databases for peer-reviewed journals. To ensure that your results come from peer-reviewed or scholarly journals, do the following:

  • Read the description of the article database to determine if it features peer-reviewed articles.

  • On the database's search screen, look for a check-box that allows you to limit your results to peer-reviewed only.

  • If you didn't check off the "peer-reviewed articles only" box, look for an option that allows you to filter your results by resource type. For example, the database Proquest Central, provides an option for choosing "Scholarly Journals" in its "results" screen.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Lord Sealy Library. (n.d). Features of a peer-reviewed article. https://guides.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/evaluatingsources