Publishing Requirements

These are the publishing requirements for teams enrolled in the Rebus Textbook Success Program to adhere to if publishing OER on the Rebus Press. 

OER will only be published in the Rebus Press catalogue (and discoverable via the Pressbooks Directory) if it meets the requirements outlined below.

Examples or templates may be available in:

General Requirements

  • License: 
    • Must be a Creative Commons license, except No Derivatives condition. 
  • Formats:
    • Web book should be public
    • Download files must be available: editable (XHTML, XML, Common Cartridge, or ODT), AND offline (PDF or EPUB) formats
  • Editing:
    • OER must be copy edited
  • Peer review:
    • OER must be peer reviewed 
    • OER must contain a Review Statement
  • Accessibility:

Content Requirements

  • Frontmatter: (see examples in Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology)
    • Required:
      • Introduction
      • Acknowledgements
    • Recommended:
      • What is an Open Textbook or OER?
      • How to Access and Use this OER
      • Dedication
      • Preface
      • Praise for the OER
  • Backmatter: (see examples in Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology)
    • Required:
      • About the Contributors
      • Accessibility Assessment
      • Review Statement
      • Version History
    • Recommended:
      • Feedback and Suggestions
      • Adoption Form
      • Licensing and Attribution Information
      • Glossary
      • Appendix/Templates
  • OER not violate objectionable content policy (essentially we reserve the right to refuse publishing certain content, including racist, homophobic, discriminatory, dangerous, or otherwise inappropriate material – longer policy to come)

Metadata Requirements

  • The following fields in the Book Information section in the dashboard must be completed: (see examples in Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology)
    • Title
    • Short description
    • Long description
    • Basic contributor info: author, editor, reviewer, contributor, etc.
    • License
    • Publication date
    • Subject