For Authors
The process of creating an open textbook can be divided into three parts:
Preparation
Creating content
Production and publishing
Preparation
This part starts with an intake interview to discuss the following:
- do you want to convert a traditional reader or textbook into an Open Textbook, or write an Open Textbook from scratch.
- if the material is published before: is there a contract with a publisher, does the publisher give permission to adjust the material and publish it as an Open Textbook or is it possible to terminated the contract.
- tuning the writing tool and templates.
At the end of the preparation part a cooperation contract will be signed.
Creating content
At this stage it is possible to get an introduction in finding OER and the Creative Commons license for your Open Textbook is tuned.
After writing the first version of your textbook, there is a copyright- and similarity check.
If you want to convert a traditional reader or textbook into an Open Textbook there is also a copyright- and similarity check.
If necessary texts and figures in the first version must be adjusted. Then an editor goes through the textbook and provide an editing report.
After the editing report has been processed, there is a second copyright- and similarity check.
Text and figures must be edited till the Open Textbook is ready for publication.
Production and publishing
In order to publish your Open Textbook on our platform, you will have to fill in a form. The form will allow you to add details such as your affiliation, a synopsis, keywords, and categories to the Open Textbook.
This will make your Open Textbook easier to identify and find for your students and other interested parties.
We will provide the Open Textbook with an ISBN and a DOI, and a link to the pdf-file will be included in our catalogue.
The Open Textbook entry will also contain a link to our print service tasked with providing the print-on-demand service for paperback copies of your Open Textbook.
This allows readers who prefer to do so, to purchase a paperback copy of your Open Textbook at a competitive price.
Your Open Textbook will also be included in the TU Delft Repository and will be made available on Open Textbooks platforms such as OER commons, Merlot and Open Textbook Library.
After publication; what’s next?
After the book is published, we strongly encourage you to revise the content periodically.When using an Open Textbook in your teaching, you could also ask for feedback on the content from students.
This way you can easily and quickly get first hand user feedback on your publication. Students could even play an active role in the curation of the content, if you involve them in the curation of the textbook. In this case, your role changes from content producer to editor of student contributions.
A revised edition of an Open Textbook will receive a new ISBN if it meets a minimal required amount of revisions.
You are free to make revisions at any time, however, we advise to finalize revisions before the start of a course that uses the Open Textbook.
We will monitor the use of your Open Textbook.
