When selecting images for use in academic contexts, such as research papers, theses or publications, it's always important to choose the highest quality image before making any "destructive" modifications to the image. For example, once an image has been resized to be smaller it is referred to as destructive because data loss occurs.
Image data is not recoverable, so keeping track of the original, highest-quality version is important. When an image is regarded as "high-quality" it means that it has an abundance of data that is stored in the file, such as pixels. Lower quality images have fewer pixels, so there is less detail, which means your image will have less clarity or sharpness. This is often referred to as image resolution.
The Reed Library provides faculty and students with access to high-resolution images through JSTOR and the Reed Digital Collections (RDC). However, the use of these images is subject to license terms and conditions that may restrict how they can be used. While we are free to view, reference, and download the images for academic purposes, we are not permitted to publish them without obtaining the appropriate licenses, permissions, or approval from the copyright owner. Your academic projects, such as presentations and research papers, are unpublished and shared with your professor, which generally supports a claim of Fair Use. Learn more about Fair Use and Assessment Tools.
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This work by the Reed College Library is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY Attribution 4.0 International License.
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