Image policy

What is recorded

For each published image the Journal records the source, the creator, the licence, the source URL, the credit line shown to readers, alternative text, and the pixel dimensions. Those fields are required by the content schema, which means an image without them fails the build rather than quietly shipping.

Where images come from

• Official and public-sector sources.
• Government sources.
• Wikimedia Commons and comparable public repositories.
• Public institutions.
• Public domain works.
• Creative Commons licences compatible with editorial reuse.
• Architecture practices and manufacturers, only where the rights clearly permit editorial reuse.

What is never used

Images from image boards and pinboards, images copied from other websites, and images whose rights cannot be established. “It was on the internet” is not a licence, and an uncertain licence is treated as no licence.

Licence metadata is read from the file and its source record, not inferred from how the picture looks. An attractive, technically well-composed photograph can still be the wrong image to publish for reasons that are only visible in its metadata and provenance, and checking pixels is not checking provenance.

Generated and illustrative imagery

AI-generated or otherwise illustrative imagery is never presented as documentary evidence of a real building, product, site or event. If such an image is used at all, it is labelled “Illustrative” on the image itself, and that label is part of the schema rather than an editorial habit that can be forgotten.

Alt text

Alternative text describes what is in the image and why it is in the article. It is not the caption repeated, and it is not the article title. An image whose alt text would add nothing is decorative, and a decorative image usually should not be there.

Rights enquiries

If you hold rights to an image published here and believe it has been used incorrectly, write to info@helperg.com and it will be reviewed and, where appropriate, removed.