Image Search
Visitors authenticated with an IEL subscription can perform image searches to easily discover over 30 million images embedded in journal and conference documents in IEEE Xplore.
Getting Started
Use the following steps to perform an advanced search:
To search for images, select "Images (Beta)" from the global search drop down and enter keywords:
Alternatively, you can toggle to the image search listing after performing a general search:
Search Criteria
An IEEE Xplore image search retrieves images based on metadata. Image data is indexed using information from figure captions and other metadata fields associated with the image including:
- article number
- document title
- publication number
- publication title
- content type
- publisher
- publication year
- publication date
- abstract
- authors
- index terms
Additionally, keywords are associated with each image record based on the IEEE indexing terms included in the figure caption and paragraphs containing the references to the image. Image search results can be filtered to limit images containing these keywords.
Image Search Tips
Image search works best with a basic search followed by toggling to Images on the search results page.
Potential Pitfalls: Advanced Search and Boolean searches may produce unexpected, less targeted results as these search modes are checking against the full metadata record and/or document full-text. By selecting the image search selection from the basic search interface, this will ensure that only the image metadata records are searched and provide a more targeted and precise Image Search results.
Tip: Did you know that you can limit results to matches in the keyword caption? To do so, you can follow the below steps:
- Select image search from the global search dropdown.
- Enter "imageCaption:" with figure caption text.
Example:
Visual Journey for Image Search
Image Search results for LLM (Basic Search):
Image Type Search Filter
The Image Type search filter is currently in Beta. We are using new Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning methods to make your search experience more convenient. The results might not be 100% accurate. Your feedback is appreciated: onlinesupport@ieee.org.
This table provides descriptions of the image types available on IEEE Xplore.
| Image Type | Description |
|---|---|
| 3D Surface Plot | A 3D surface plot is a graph that shows the relationship between three variables as a smooth surface. It's a useful tool for exploring how variables interact. |
| Algorithm | An algorithm is a set of instructions that are followed in order to complete a task or solve a problem. |
| Apparatus Photograph | An apparatus photograph that focuses on the equipment or machinery used to take a picture, essentially capturing the "apparatus" itself rather than the typical subject matter, often highlighting the technical aspects of the photographic process and sometimes used in a critical analysis of photography's power dynamics and how it shapes our perception of reality. |
| Apparatus Schematic | An apparatus schematic is a designed representatoin of the elements of a piece of apparatus. |
| Area Chart | An area chart is a type of data visualization that displays trends over time by plotting a line and then filling in the area beneath it, creating a shaded region that highlights the magnitude of the data points, essentially combining elements of a line chart and a bar chart; it's particularly useful for showing cumulative totals or comparing multiple data series visually over time. |
| Bar Chart | A bar chart is a graphical representation used to display and compare discrete categories of data through rectangular bars, where the length or height of each bar is proportional to the frequency or value of the corresponding category. |
| Block Diagram | A diagram showing in schematic form the general arrangement of the parts or components of a complex system or process, such as an industrial apparatus or an electronic circuit. |
| Bode Plot | A Bode plot is a graph that shows how the magnitude and phase of a system's frequency response change. It's used in electrical engineering and control theory. |
| Box Plot | A box plot or boxplot is a method for demonstrating graphically the locality, spread and skewness groups of numerical data through their quartiles. |
| CAD Model | A CAD model is a computer-generated 2D or 3D representation of an object or structure. CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design. |
| Cartoon | A vector graphic that resembles a cartoon. |
| Chemical Structure | A chemical structure is the spatial arrangement of atoms in a molecule. Chemical structure determines the molecular geometry of the molecule. |
| Contour Plot | A contour plot is a graphical way to show a 3D surface in 2D. It's also known as a level plot. |
| Dendrogram | A demdogram is a tree diagram, especially one showing taxonomic relationships. |
| Donut Chart | A doughnut (or donut) chart is a pie chart with a "hole" - a blank circular area in the center. The chart is divided into parts that show the percentage each value contributes to a total. Like the regular pie chart, the doughnut chart is used with small sets of data to compare categories. |
| Electrical Circuit Photograph | An electrical circuit photograph is a visual representation of an electrical circuit, such as a circuit diagram or layout. Circuit diagrams are used to design, build, and maintain electrical circuits. |
| Electrical Circuit Schematic | An electrical circuit schematic is a graphical representation of an electrical circuit, using standardized symbols to depict components and their connections, essentially providing a visual blueprint of how the circuit functions without showing the physical layout of the components, allowing engineers and technicians to easily understand the circuit design and operation. |
| Engineering Drawing | An engineering drawing is a technical diagram that shows how to construct or operate an object. It's used to communicate design ideas and information to engineers and other professionals. |
| Flow Chart | A flow chart image type is a visual representation of a process or workflow, using standardized symbols like rectangles, diamonds, and arrows to depict the sequence of steps, decisions, and actions involved, essentially illustrating how information or tasks flow through a system in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. |
| Graph (Nodes and Edges) | A graph with "nodes" representing individual entities or points and "edges" representing the connections or relationships between those nodes; essentially, nodes are the "things" in a network, and edges are the "links" between them. |
| Graphical User Interface | The graphical user interface (GUI /gu:i:/), is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and visual indicators such as secondary notation, instead of text-based user interfaces, typed command labels or text navigation. |
| High Level Programming Language | A high level programming language (HLL) is a programming language designed to be easily understood by humans, using syntax and structures closer to natural language, making it easier to write and read code compared to low-level languages, which are more machine-oriented; essentially, it acts as a bridge between human thought and computer instructions, requiring a compiler or interpreter to translate the code into machine language that the computer can execute. |
| Histogram | An image histogram is a type of histogram that acts as a graphical representation of the tonal distribution in a digital image. It plots the number of pixels for each tonal value. By looking at the histogram for a specific image a viewer will be able to judge the entire tonal distribution at a glance. |
| Imaging (Medical, Thermal, or Similar) | Imaging is an image that captures details on procedures that uses technology to create images of the body to help diagnose and treat conditions. Thermal imaging is a type of medical imaging that uses infrared cameras to create images of body heat. |
| Kinematic Diagram | A kinematic diagram is a type of image in mechanical engineering that visually represents the connectivity of links and joints within a mechanism or machine, showing how different parts move relative to each other without detailing their exact shapes or dimensions; essentially, it's a simplified schematic illustrating the "skeleton" of a moving system, focusing on the relationships between joints and links rather than the physical appearance of the components. |
| Line Plot | A line plot, also known as a dot plot, is a graphical representation of data displayed along a number line where each data point is marked with a dot or "X" above the corresponding value, showing the frequency of each data point within a set; essentially, it visually depicts how often a certain value appears in a data set by stacking symbols above the number line representing that value. |
| Map (Geographical, Street, or Similar) | A geographic image type is a map that visually represents the Earth's surface and selected characteristics of a place. Maps can be used to show landforms, political boundaries, population distribution, and more. |
| Micrograph | A micrograph is an image, captured photographically or digitally, taken through a microscope or similar device to show a magnified image of an object. |
| Modeling Mesh (Finite Element or Similar) | A map modeling mesh (often referred to as a finite element mesh) is a digital representation of a 3D object divided into small, interconnected geometric shapes (like triangles or quadrilaterals) used in engineering simulations to analyze stress, strain, fluid flow, or other physical phenomena by approximating complex geometries into smaller, more manageable units for calculations; essentially, it's a map of the object's surface broken down into a network of points (nodes) and connected lines (elements) that can be used to solve complex equations numerically. |
| Network (Abstract or Cartoon) | An abstract or cartoon depiction providing a visual representation of computer or telecommunication networks. |
| Nyquist Plot | A Nyquist plot is a parametric plot that uses a complex plane to show the frequency response of a system. It's used in control systems to assess the stability of a system with feedback. |
| Other | Other types of images without a classification. |
| Petri Net | A Petri net image is a graphical representation of a system's components and how they interact. It's a directed graph with nodes that represent places and transitions, and arcs that connect them. |
| Photograph (Excluding Apparatus and Electrical Circuit) | Other photographs excluding apparatus photographs and electrical circuits. |
| Pie Chart | A pie chart is a circular image that uses slices to show how a whole is divided into categories. It's a way to visually represent data as a percentage of a whole. |
| Polar Plot | A polar plot diagram is a graphical representation of data using polar coordinates, where each data point is plotted based on its distance from the origin (radius) and the angle it makes with a reference axis, essentially showing the magnitude of a variable at different angles around a central point; commonly used in fields like sailing to visualize a boat's potential speed at various wind directions and speeds, or in engineering to analyze frequency response characteristics of a system at different phases. |
| Pole-Zero Plot | A pole-zero plot shows the location in the complex plane of the poles and zeros of the transfer function of a dynamic system. |
| Quiver Plot | A quiver plot diagram is a visual representation of a vector field, where arrows are used to depict the magnitude and direction of a vector at different points in a space, essentially showing "flow" by drawing arrows that indicate both the direction and strength of a quantity at each location on a plot; often used in fields like physics and engineering to visualize things like wind patterns, fluid flow, or electric field gradients. |
| Radar Chart | A radar chart is a type of data visualization that displays multiple quantitative variables on a circular graph, where each variable is represented by a spoke radiating from a central point, creating a web-like appearance, hence the alternative name "spider chart"; it's primarily used to compare different data sets across multiple attributes and identify outliers by visually showing similarities and differences between them. |
| Sankey Diagram | A Sankey diagram is a chart that shows the flow of information, materials, or energy between different stages or components. It's a type of flow diagram that uses arrows to visualize the flow. |
| Scatter Plot | A scatter plot (aka scatter chart, scatter graph) uses dots to represent values for two different numeric variables. The position of each dot on the horizontal and vertical axis indicates values for an individual data point. Scatter plots are used to observe relationships between variables. |
| Schematic | A schematic diagram is a simplified drawing that uses symbols and lines to show how a system is put together or how it functions. Schematics are used in many fields, including engineering, electronics, and business. |
| Sequence Diagram (UML) | A UML sequence diagram is a graphical representation that depicts the interaction of objects in a system over time. These diagrams capture the sequence of messages exchanged between objects and the order in which these interactions occur, presenting them as vertical lifelines and horizontal arrows. |
| Signal Eye Diagram | A signal eye diagram is a visual representation of a digital signal's quality, created by overlaying multiple signal periods on top of each other, which allows engineers to assess the signal integrity by observing characteristics like jitter, noise, and signal level variations, often appearing in a shape resembling an eye, hence the name "eye diagram". |
| Signal Timing Diagram | A signal timing diagram is a graphical representation that visually depicts how different electrical signals change their state over time, showcasing the timing relationships between various signals within a system, often used in electronics and software design to analyze signal interactions and potential timing issues; essentially, it's a type of diagram that plots signal values on a timeline, highlighting when signals transition between states like high and low, and how these transitions relate to each other. |
| Signal Waveform | A signal waveform is a graph that shows how a signal's amplitude changes over time. It's a visual representation of a signal's shape as it moves through a medium. |
| Smith Chart | A Smith chart image is a graphical representation of complex impedance, usually displayed as a circular plot, where points on the chart correspond to specific impedance values, allowing for easy visualization and calculation of impedance matching in electrical circuits, particularly in radio frequency (RF) applications; it is essentially a visual tool to plot normalized impedance using a polar coordinate system based on the reflection coefficient, with circles representing constant resistance and arcs representing constant reactance values. |
| Spectrogram | A spectrogram is a visual way of representing the signal strength, or "loudness", of a signal over time at various frequencies present in a particular waveform. |
| State Transition Diagram | A state transition diagram is a graphical representation that visually depicts how a system or object can move between different possible states, triggered by specific events, essentially showing the different "conditions" a system can be in and how it transitions between them through actions or events; it's often used in software design to model the dynamic behavior of an object or system by illustrating its states and the transitions between them using arrows labeled with triggering events. |
| System Architecture | A system architecture diagram is a visual representation of a system's components, including hardware and software, and how they interact with each other, essentially providing a high-level overview of the system's structure and how different parts connect and function together; it acts as a blueprint to understand the design and functionality of a system at a glance. |
| Table (Data and Text) | A table that stores both structured data (numbers, dates, etc.) alongside unstructured text data, allowing for the analysis and association of textual information with other data points within a single table. |
| Trajectory | A trajectory diagram is a visual representation of the path an object takes over time. It can be used to show the position, velocity, and acceleration of an object as it moves through space. |
| Violin Plot | A violin plot depicts distributions of numeric data for one or more groups using density curves. The width of each curve corresponds with the approximate frequency of data points in each region. Densities are frequently accompanied by an overlaid chart type, such as box plot, to provide additional information. |
| Word Cloud | A word cloud is a visual representation of text that uses font size or color to show the importance of each word. Word clouds are also known as tag clouds or weighted lists. |
