Open Educational Resources Collective Publishing Workflow

The checklist below is written for library staff working with authors initiating a new open textbook publishing project.

In the Initiate stage of an open textbook project, you’ll need to:

1. Ensure you and your authors understand what an OER is and how it differs from other types of educational resources.
2. Communicate the benefits of adapting and creating OER to prospective authors.

3. Know what tools and websites are available for finding open textbooks authors can adapt.
4. Support authors with finding discipline or course-specific open textbooks.

5. Ensure you and your authors understand what copyright means and how it differs for open textbooks.
6. Ensure you and your authors understand when to seek permission to use third party content.
7. Ensure you and your authors understand how baseline rights (like those in Creative Commons licences) work.
8. Ensure you and your authors understand when to acknowledge creators.

9. Ensure you and your authors understand what an open licence is and how this differs from other types of copyright licences.
10. Ensure you and your authors familiarise yourself with the different types of Creative Commons licences and how they all work.

11. Help your authors find and connect with potential co-authors.

12. Help authors determine what resources and support they’ll need for their open textbook project.
13. Ensure authors are aware of any funding opportunities or in-kind support your institution offers for authoring open textbooks.
14. Encourage eligible authors to apply for a CAUL OER Collective Open Textbook Grant.

Adapted from  ‘Checklist’ in Authoring Open Textbooks by Melissa Falldin and Karen Lauritsen licensed under a CC BY 4.0 licence.