Documentation:Open Textbook Publishing Guide

The Open Textbook Publishing Guide was created to assist UBC faculty and staff engaging in an open textbook publishing project. This guide is arranged into phases of the publishing process from planning to creating content to collecting data about the impact of the publication. This guide provides you with sample project planning templates; workflows for text design and structure; communication and networking practices for your project; and the supports available to you at UBC for your project.

Project Phases

Phase 1 - Planning Your Project Determine the Project Scope Gathering information and framing your project is important for understanding what you are working toward for yourself and anyone else involved. Learn More ... Develop a Project Plan Taking the time to plan in the beginning will save a lot of stress and time in the end. Work out a rough timeline for your project, create a budget, and identify who to recruit. Learn More ... Phase 2 - Learning Design Develop Student Engagement Plan When engaging in creating an open textbook you may also want to include students in the creation process. Learn More... Develop an Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion Plan Developing versatile materials that are inclusive and accessible for all students is a cornerstone to open educational resources. Learn More... Phase 3 - Creating Content Identify Existing Resources Creating a process for identifying resources for your text to re-use or modify. Learn More... Develop Textbook Outline Before you begin writing, create an outline that details the topics to be covered in your textbook and how they will be organized in a table of contents. Learn More... Phase 4 - Textbook Design Select a Tool Selecting the tool most appropriate for your text design needs is important for a successful project. Learn More... Consider Textbook Design Rules Textbook design incorporates structured parts, chapters, sections, and subsections that are organized in a way that facilitates understanding. Learn More... Develop Style Sheet Making decisions about the final style and design of your textbook at the beginning of your project will help save you time and extra work. Learn More... Phase 5 - Release Consider Peer Review Developing a peer-review strategy for your open textbook will help to ensure quality and adoption. Learn More... Develop a Release Plan A lot of work has gone into the creation of your open textbook. Developing a marketing and promotion plan to share your textbook will ensure your work is used broadly. Learn More... Phase 6 - Post-Release Collect Impact Data Making decisions on how you want to show impact of your textbook is part of the post-release process. Learn More... Consider Revisions Investigate ways to gather feedback to improve and upgrade your textbook after it's initial release. Learn More...

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The Open Textbook Publishing Guide created by Erin Fields and Amanda Grey, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.