Editorial transparency
Image Licensing Policy
An image is used only when its reuse rights can be verified.
Acceptable imagery
We use original editorial illustrations, verified public-domain material, properly licensed Creative Commons work or images used with explicit permission.
Provenance
Where practical, we store creator, source, source URL, license, attribution requirement and public-domain status.
Government websites
A file appearing on a .gov website is not automatically reusable. Federal pages can contain contractor work, stock photography, protected logos, trademarks, identifiable people and third-party material. We inspect the agency's terms and the individual asset credit before use.
When rights are unclear
We do not use the image. A picture appearing on a government or university website is not automatically assumed to be public domain.