Provenance research guide · checklist
Image rights and reuse checklist for art research
Track image sources, rights statements, permitted uses, attribution, and unresolved restrictions separately from metadata rights.
Separate object rights from image rights
The artwork may be public domain while a photograph, scan, database record, or accompanying essay has separate terms. Capture the rights statement and source link for each digital asset.
The artwork may be public domain while a photograph, scan, database record, or accompanying essay has separate terms. Capture the rights statement and source link for each digital asset. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Record the intended use
Research notes, classroom presentation, publication, marketing, redistribution, and model training may require different analysis. Document the planned use, territory, format, audience, and modifications before reuse.
Research notes, classroom presentation, publication, marketing, redistribution, and model training may require different analysis. Document the planned use, territory, format, audience, and modifications before reuse. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Retain attribution and restrictions
Store creator or institution credit, license URI, required wording, download date, and any contractual restrictions. When terms are unclear, link rather than copy and request specialist review.
Store creator or institution credit, license URI, required wording, download date, and any contractual restrictions. When terms are unclear, link rather than copy and request specialist review. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Record the boundary of the evidence
End the research record by separating documented facts, supported interpretations, unresolved questions, and disconfirmed leads. A gap is not proof of wrongdoing, and a repeated statement is not independent corroboration when every repetition traces back to the same source.
Retain the source URL or call number, access date, quoted passage, page or image reference, and a file hash when a stable local copy is permitted. This makes the conclusion reproducible and makes later correction possible without rewriting the history of the research.