Taking and using screenshots

You can use a computer to make a screenshot of material that you wish to analyse or discuss in your work.

Windows now includes an application named Snip & Sketch: to activate it, press the Windows logo key+SHIFT+S. You can then access a range of tools to capture and annotate any part of the screen that is of interest to you. To obtain a capture of your whole screen, press the PrtScn key.

In macOS, the simplest method to make a screenshot is to use the built-in software that allows you take shots as follows:

• CMD+SHIFT+3: capture a shot of your desktop. An icon will appear on-screen: click on this and you can then annotate or crop the shot as you wish
• CMD+SHIFT+4: capture a shot of a specific portion of your screen by dragging the crosshairs that appear over the desired area

File format

Wherever possible, you should capture screenshots in .png format: this is a lossless format and therefore is likely to result in a higher-resolution file.

Dedicated applications

You can also make use of dedicated applications to capture screenshots.

References and fair use

You should always include a caption, giving your source and including a link where relevant.

When using screenshots, you should bear considerations of “fair use” in mind. The source of the screenshot should always be given in any work where you reproduce it. The creation of a screenshot for personal use is generally considered to be fair use, but you should take care to check carefully any limitations that a given site or other resource may place on making copies though screenshots or other means.