Use images effectively
Images are visual representations of ideas or evidence. The inclusion of images in your assessments, presentations, or research is a powerful and effective way to enhance communication and convey information more meaningfully. Your audience will develop a deeper understanding about what you are explaining. Using images and text together effectively can support your arguments and justify your position. Using images in academic studies provides an opportunity to further construct or document our understanding and demonstrate your knowledge to a broader audience.
This resource will guide you with key strategies to select and use appropriate images, how to present images in assessments and how to write about images.
Why are images important in academic assessments?
In a broader context, images serve the dual purpose of conveying information and illustrating it (McCay-Peet & Toms, 2009). You can provide context for your information or argument by adding images, where appropriate. Images serve an important aspect in collaboration with the text together to make your message clearer to an audience in a presentation, a reader in a blog, your portfolio, your essay or your research (Hemais, 2014. p.113).
When using images in your assessment or research project consider the following tips and ask yourself the following questions:
Image selection tips
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What types of images to use in an assessment?
You can use a variety of types of images depending on the requirements and scope outlined in your task description or research project guidelines. The following section provides you with the key types of images commonly used: photographs, drawings, paintings, illustrations and diagrams.
Where do I find images I can use in my projects?
When you use an image you have sourced on a Google search there are two key issues you need to consider. First, copying and saving images might affect their quality in your document. The image can become pixelated and blurry. You may not be able to enlarge them or scale them to size without affecting their clarity and visibility in your document or project.
Second, images are subject to copyright laws. In Australia, copyright laws give legal protection to people who communicate original ideas and information in particular forms. The most common ways are music, writing, moving and visual images (Copyright Act 1968). Be cautious and aware of copyright laws. In Australia, these laws protect original ideas. If you use an image without knowing its source, you could violate these laws.
Monash library guidelines detail a variety of sources for digital images that you can use appropriately in your assessments and research projects. To source an image you can use the following starting points appropriately.
Sources
You can use the following sources to find images that are suitable to use at University for your assessment or project.
Tips: Image sources
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 | Original images You can use your own original drawings, photos, diagrams. When you are using your own original drawings, images/photos and diagrams, you do not need to cite any sources as they are your work. Be mindful of copyright laws. If you are using images created by others, ensure that you have the right to use them in your assessment. Seek images from reputable sources that provide licensing information. |
 | Online museum collections with browsable images The library has an extensive list of image database subscriptions. These are restricted to Monash staff and students. There are links to image search engines including their advantages and disadvantages. There are details about how to maintain academic integrity by citing and attributing images appropriately. |
 | Monash’s art design and architecture databases This database includes a range of key resources for art, design and architecture. There are also links to key journals, arts industry news and key indexes to find art publications. You can meet with a librarian if you need further assistance with using these resources. |
 | Free images no copyright You can use the following links to Unsplash or Pixabay, to access images that are free of copyright restrictions. These images are high resolution. It is important to note that both sites have an upgrade to pay for images, just make sure when you select the image you need you select download free. |
How do I present images in an assessment?
When you have sourced your images you can present them in a variety of ways and the most important direction is based within your assessment task or research project purpose.
Formatting and placing your images in your assessments
Formatting is the process of organising and placing your images. You need to consider that formatting an image is an important design principle when developing the layout of your assessment or project and it is important to plan where your images should be, to present the most impact. You need to select and position your image with a clear purpose; your image is not just included for aesthetic value, or to fill in space or act as a page break rather it is used to help others to understand your message better.
Examples of how to format images in your assessments
Using the key steps, the following examples present ways to organise your images for specific assessment tasks. These include posters, combining more than one image together in a project and combining images and text together in a report.
In all of these examples, it is evident that you must understand your task description to maximise the potential your images have to communicate your ideas and demonstrate your understanding of your topic.
Example 1: How to organise types of images in a Poster
The following example explores how original images and diagrams can be organised in a poster presentation. This project demonstrates consistency in formatting and how to position a diverse range of images to avoid overcrowding and distracting from your ideas.
Example 2: How to bring images together
You may use a single image or a collection of images for different purposes. One image can demonstrate a point, provide evidence or present an example. An image may be autonomous and independent from the verbal or written material. You may use a series of images to show a pattern over time or different perspectives of the same experience and contextual information (Van Leeuwen & Jewitt, 2001). This example demonstrates how a series of different images work together to communicate your understanding of a topic in a presentation. The following images are connected by their content but each image serves a different purpose to communicate to define a topic.
Example 3: How to combine images and text effectively in a report
When you are including both text and images in your assessment, you will need to consider how to organise all of your information.
This will include the following steps:
- The format of your images including their quality and their size
- Where they should be placed in relation to the text
- How to discuss the images in your text
- How to caption your images and cite your sources.
Example 3 presents how images and text can be sourced and organised in a report assessment.
Using images effectively
How do I discuss images in an assessment?
You may be required to make a visual analysis of an image for an assessment task or research project. Analysing images and discussing them is an important academic skill used across many different disciplines such as research practice in scientific fields, anthropology, psychology, cultural studies, art and design history. Depending on the discipline you are studying or level within your academic journey, there are different approaches and methods used for visual analysis. Consider your task description or purpose for using images, this will determine how to analyse your visual material and then discuss your images effectively.
You may be asked to discuss and analyse visual material in your assessments by explaining the meaning and significance. The following resources will assist you to understand the essence of visual analysis. This may involve understanding of how visual material communicates and functions. The purpose of visual analysis is to form an argument based on visual sources.You may be required to look for suitable visual examples and justify your selection. How you select and combine visual examples demonstrates your answer to the questions within your task. To interpret visual material is to consider the ideas that examples express, how and why they express them, and the ways they represent their time and place.
