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Citing Sources: Public Domain

DISCLAIMER: Material provided is only intended as a guide. This guide is not a substitute for professional legal advice.

What is in the Public Domain?

Public Domain: "the realm embracing property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone." (merriam-webster.com)
“Anything copyrighted prior to 1923 is in the public domain.” (onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu)

You must cite (credit the author or creator) even if content is in the “Public Domain”.

FIND: Public Domain Works on the Internet

Absence of a copyright symbol “©” does not mean a work is in the public domain
The CC Search tool is another way to find public domain material.
Digital Public Library Association (DPLA)
Flickr Commons: Some Public Domain Materials: Look for license
Internet Archive
Library of Congress
Project Gutenberg: Books in the public domain
Public Domain Review
Rijksmuseum
Wikimedia Commons

Beware of these problems

Public Domain and Creative Commons: A Guide to Works You Can Use Freely: Beware of These Problem Areas (libguides.lib.umt.edu)

Public Domain vs. Creative Commons

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