An information processing apparatus includes a partial image extracting unit configured to extract partial images from input documents, a meta information setting unit configured to associate a given one of the input documents with the partial images of the given one of the input documents to generate meta information indicative of the association regarding the given one of the input documents, and a search unit configured to search for and retrieve one of the input documents as a first document from the document storage unit to display the first document on a display unit, wherein the meta information setting unit adds copy-source information indicative of the partial image of the first document to the meta information regarding a second document of the input documents when the partial image of the first document is copied and pasted onto the second document.