Scholarly Communication and Publishing
Introduction
Creative commons licensed materials can include images, video, audio, text, webpages, and any anything that can be shared digitally. Using materials that are licensed under a Creative Commons license is helpful when you plan to share the products of your work publicly because you know your use is permissible.
Examples of projects that might benefit from using Creative Commons licensed materials:
- Images within a research paper
- Conference materials
- Multimedia projects
- Teaching materials you plan to share
- Anything you plan to make publicly available
General
- Google Advanced SearchUse the "usage rights" filter to search the web for general CC licensed materials.
- Internet ArchiveProvides free access to a variety of materials under difference licenses.
- Wikimedia CommonsA large collection of mostly-reusable materials.
Images
- Openverse (Creative Commons Works)Search creative commons works on Openverse, formerly Creative Commons Search.
- FlickrMany images on this site are free to reuse. Always doublecheck the copyright permissions.
- Google Image SearchUse the "Tools" button below the search bar to select "Usage Rights".
- Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)Materials from libraries, archives, and other cultural heritage institutions from across the US. Some materials are available under Creative Commons licenses, or in other ways that allow reuse - make sure to check the copyright information for specific items. Mostly images and text, although there are some audio and video materials as well.
- EuropeanaDigital media provided largely by the museums, libraries, and archives of Europe
- Open Clip Art LibraryA large collection of clip art images
- Noun ProjectFind icons and graphics that are free to use.
- Shutter StockStock photos are usually free to reuse and are available under CC licenses.
- NappyDiverse stock photos that are free and high-resolution.
Audio and Video
- ccMixterA community music remixing site with audio licensed under a Creative Commons license.
- FreesoundLocate audio and sounds under a Creative Commons license.
- Internet Archive NetlabelsFree music and audio, most of which uses a Creative Commons license.
- YouTube Audio LibraryThe YouTube creator studio provides royalty music and sound effects. Note that they may not use a Creative Commons license.
- JamendoCollection of Creative Commons licensed music from all genres
- SoundCloudSome music is available under Creative Commons licenses, and you can filter your search to only search for Creative Commons licensed songs.
- VimeoVimeo hosts videos, some of which are licensed under Creative Commons. The search can be filtered to only look for works with Creative Commons licenses.
Text
A variety of text-based materials may be shared online using a Creative Commons license, including scholarly articles, books, creative works, presentation slides, lesson plans, blog posts, and more. Finding these materials can be more difficult, but these resources are a few places to start depending on the type of material you are looking for.
- OpenStaxOpenStax publishes open access textbooks that can be easily shared, adapted, and remixed.
- Directory of Open Access JournalsThe DOAJ is the most comprehensive list of open access journals, most of which publish their content under a Creative Commons license.
- ManyBooksThis website allows you to search for books that use a CC license.