7 Before authors start writing
Introduction
This chapter includes advice and tips that Library staff can share with authors to ensure their writing process is as efficient and effective as possible.
Planning your time
Past authors encouraged us to share two pieces of valuable advice.
- Writing a textbook is time-consuming and always takes longer than you think, so having a schedule that allows extra time for unforeseen events is essential.
- Authors must understand their writing habits to make a realistic schedule that provides sufficient time for drafting, editing and revisions, plus any contingencies. How long does it take, for example, to write 3,000 words? If authors don’t know their writing capacity, they can log how much they write (number of words, length of time) for at least a week to help calculate their writing pace. Then they can estimate how long it takes to write a first draft of a chapter.
Authors can create a realistic schedule by starting with the deadline for their first draft and working backward. They should then schedule a specific writing time and location (at home or at the office) that works best for them.
Planning book structure
Authors need a detailed outline of chapter contents and how they are organised into parts. They must also plan other structural elements, such as front and back matter.
The Pressbooks platform supports an extensive range of front and back matter.
Front and back matter typically included in our open textbooks includes:
- Acknowledgement of Country
- Title page, including metadata
- About the authors
- Preface (optional)
- Disclaimer statement
- Accessibility statement
- Diversity, equity and inclusion statement (optional)
- Peer review statement
- Licensing and attribution information
- Version history and scope note
- Appendices (optional)
- Glossary (optional)
- Does something need fixing?
Writing an Acknowledgement of Country
An Acknowledgement of Country is included in the front matter to show respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands where the authors produced their work.
The Acknowledgement of Country has no specific wording requirements (Reconciliation Australia, 2024). It should:
- Acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land
- Pay respect to past and present Elders.
To get started with writing an Acknowledgement of Country, authors can look at examples of Acknowledgements of Country online and adapt one to their context and personal experience.
See Welcome to and Acknowledgement of Country: In Practice for examples of verbal and written Acknowledgement of Country.
Planning chapter structure
Textbooks have a standard structure consisting of chapters, sections and sub-sections. Within each chapter, functional elements, such as openers and closers, are incorporated into the textbook design to help readers understand the text (Schneider, 2008).
Table 7.1: Basic chapter structure and functional elements
| Openers | Main body | Closers |
|---|---|---|
| Learning objectives | Case studies | Summary and conclusion |
| Introduction/overview | Activities/exercises | Review questions |
| Chapter outline | Videos | Review activities |
Pressbooks has many features that can be used to present content in openers, closers and the main body:
- textboxes that can highlight introductions, learning objectives, chapter summaries, reminders, etc.
- glossary terms or tooltips that define important terms in the main body of the text
- media and multimedia – to insert audio, video, figures and graphs
- H5P plugin – to insert a range of interactive content (e.g., review questions)
- Tablepress plugin – to insert tables that can be sorted/searched.
Deciding early on which Pressbooks features to use in the text means that the draft can be written with these in mind instead of added on later. This makes chapter planning easier and promotes consistency of features throughout the text, mainly where there are multiple authors. Making these decisions in advance and recording them in the style sheet is highly recommended.
Style decisions
Authors must make numerous decisions about style, including writing style, style guide and referencing style.
Writing style refers to the tone and voice used by authors in the text. Besides recommending a style guide, MUL leaves style decisions up to the author team.
Style guides provide authors with guidelines for writing accessible and inclusive content in plain language. We recommend that authors use the Australian Government Style Manual unless they have another preference as it is widely used, comprehensive and easy to follow.
Referencing style
Choosing a referencing style is another decision for the author team. Authors must use a style relevant to their discipline and apply it consistently throughout the text. Monash authors have the choice of several Monash styles. The referencing style and version of the style (if applicable) need to be recorded in the style sheet to inform all members of the writing team and the copyeditor.
There is no in-built referencing style in Pressbooks; authors can use a reference manager or a manual process. If authors use a reference manager, we recommend removing the field codes from their document before importing it into Pressbooks.
Pressbooks has a footnotes feature that can be used for numbered referencing styles. This feature inserts a superscript in the text that links to the reference details in the footnote. The details of the reference need to be entered in the content box prompt in the exact format of the referencing style. Additional editing, such as formatting italicised text, will be required.
Style sheets
Style sheets are a communication and decision-making tool that help writing teams and copy editors maintain consistency of style throughout their textbook.
Style sheets record decisions about stylistic preferences, such as writing style, spelling preferences, vocabulary and terminology preferences, abbreviations, punctuation, formatting, layout, citation style, and other related elements. They also inform all team members of any decisions regarding specific Pressbooks features for each chapter, such as text boxes for learning outcomes and chapter summaries.
Style sheets also communicate style decisions that deviate from the selected style guide. For example, authors may use the Australian Government Style Manual for the writing style but use a different referencing style, such as APA.
Monash University authors are introduced to the OER Style Sheet [.docx, 164 KB] during the onboarding period. Project managers must regularly encourage authors to use the style sheet to avoid time-consuming inconsistencies.
Writing workflow and tools
Authors can work directly in Pressbooks or a text editor. If a textbook has many multimedia elements (e.g., H5Ps, audio, video recordings) that are closely integrated with the text, it will be easier to work directly in Pressbooks. This decision has pros and cons, depending on the content of the book. For more information, refer to Tips and Tricks for Pressbooks.
At MUL, we recommend that authors write in Microsoft Word or Google Docs and import the final version to Pressbooks. This makes arranging copyediting and peer review easier, allows for chapter versioning, and makes collaboration easier in projects with multiple authors.
References
Reconciliation Australia. (2024). Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country. https://www.reconciliation.org.au/reconciliation/acknowledgement-of-country-and-welcome-to-country/
Schneider, D. K. (2008). Textbook writing tutorial. EduTech Wiki. https://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Textbook_writing_tutorial
A style guide is a set of standards for writing to ensure consistency and clarity. It includes rules for grammar, punctuation, spelling, formatting, citation, and tone. In the Monash open textbooks, we used the Australian Government Style Manual.
A referencing style is a standardised method for citing sources in academic and professional writing. It dictates how to format in-text citations and reference lists, ensuring consistency and clarity. Common referencing styles include APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard, each with specific rules for citing books, articles, websites, and other sources.
