Why do some images appear multiple times in search results?

An image may appear in many books and journal issues over time. So while there may be logically one image, in practice there are many instances of that image, at least one for every publication that the image has been used in. Consequently:

• There may be many instances of an image in the repository.
• Some may be identical, some may have been subtly altered when the image was reused.
• Every time the image appears, it may have a different caption because the caption text will be relating the image to the context in which it is being used.
• Seemingly identical images may be found as a result of seemingly unrelated searches.

Most importantly, Image Finder does not attempt to search for images based on what the images look like. The search is based entirely on the data that is held about the images.

See What types of images are available in Image Finder?

Please contact us using the Email option at the bottom of this page for any images metadata issues.