Before Submitting Your Manuscript

Before submitting your open textbook manuscript to the Library, ensure the following tasks are complete:

• Align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  If your content aligns with any UN SDGs:

  • Select the subject, Relating to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), under Additional Subjects.

  • At the end of the Short Description, include a statement such as: This activity is aligned with SDG 1 – No poverty.

• Export Required Formats
  Decide which formats your textbook should be available in. The most popular formats are:

  • EPUB

  • PDF (for digital distribution)

  • PDF (for print)

  ⚠️ Important: Users can only download the formats you have exported. If you make changes to the content after exporting, you must delete the previous files and re-export them to ensure the correct versions are available for download.

• Manage Chapter Access
  If you are releasing content gradually, password-protect any chapters that are not yet complete to prevent early access.

• Copyright and Licensing
  For guidance on copyright in Australia and Creative Commons licensing, refer to A Guide to Creative Commons.

• Intellectual Property
  Any intellectual property (a “Project”) created on the platform is owned either by the author or Western Sydney University, depending on applicable policies.

• Notify the Library
  Once your manuscript is ready for publication, contact the Scholarly Publishing Consultant at: oer@westernsydney.edu.au

Submission and Shell Assignment

After confirming your manuscript is complete:

• Discuss with the Scholarly Publishing Consultant whether to upload your content all at once or in stages (e.g., uploading chapters one by one).

• Once approved, a Western Open Books shell (template) will be assigned.

• The Digital Publishing Librarian will upload your content and work with you to refine the layout and design. The text itself will not be altered.

• You will be provided with a link to access your textbook shell.

After Submission: Pre-Publication Workflow

Following submission to the Library, the following steps will occur:

1. Copyright and Similarity Review

   • Your manuscript will be reviewed by the University Copyright Officer.

   • A Turnitin Similarity Report will be generated and shared with you.

2. Formatting and Design

   • The Digital Publishing Librarian will format your content and design a cover using Western Open Books branding.

   • The Library will update the Book Info section and index your content in the Western Open Books platform.

3. Peer Review

   • The Scholarly Publishing Consultant will coordinate a peer review with two external subject experts.

   • This typically takes 6–8 weeks (excluding author revisions).

4. Copyediting and Proofreading

   • Once peer review is complete, a professional supplier will copyedit and proofread the manuscript.

   • This process typically takes 1–2 weeks (excluding author revisions).

5. Final Checks and Publishing

   • The Scholarly Publishing Librarian will conduct a final quality check.

   • Your textbook will be made publicly available, with downloadable formats enabled.

   • It will be listed in the Library catalogue and discoverable through the Library search box.

   • If your textbook exceeds 1,500 words, it will also be added to the global Pressbooks Directory and indexed in external open textbook repositories.

Additional resources

• Pressbooks. Book Creation
• Pressbooks. Simple 5-Step Guide to Making a Book with Pressbooks
• Pressbooks. Modifying and Open Textbooks: What You Need to Know
• Pressbooks. Bring your content into Pressbooks. Pressbooks User Guide
• Burnett, M., Elder, A., and Gruber, A.M.. Importing and Exporting Content for Pressbooks. OER Primer for Iowa Regents Institutions. IOWA State University
• OER Production Team. Images and Files, Pressbooks Guide: a reference for OER creators using Pressbooks. BCcampus