Guidelines for authors
This guide outlines the La Trobe eBureau’s recommendations for how to write your draft open educational resource (OER) manuscript(s). We provide examples from existing La Trobe eBureau OERs and other open textbooks.
These guidelines will help you to develop content that is specifically framed for effective student learning. We aim to express concepts and practice in a way that is accessible, engaging and speaks to the 'hearts and minds' of learners.
Communicating informational content alone is ineffective for learners in a rapidly changing world. Therefore we aim to support the creation of content that develops learners into independent thinkers and emerging practitioners.
At any point in the project, you can contact the eBureau team for support.
Situating your chapter
Frame your chapter in context, both within the overall structure and purpose of the resource, and in relation to assumed prior knowledge.
Key considerations
Start with a clear plan to identify key elements, save time, and ensure consistency.
Structure of your chapter
There is a general structure for how you would construct your chapter, with common elements such as an introduction, main body and references. We have provided an outline describing what should be covered in each of these sections that you can follow.
Chapter introduction
Engage learners differently. Draft a compelling opening that connects with lived experience, captures why your topic matters for practice, and begins to relate this to key concepts.
Main body
Connect the “why this matters” with the core concepts (the “what”). Chunk your content into engaging elements — such as breakout boxes, activities, and multimedia — to support progressive knowledge checks and interaction.
Conclusion and “Back Matter”
Wrap up your chapter by showing how these insights apply in practice and make a real-world difference. Highlight how internalising these ideas can shape the way emerging practitioners approach their work.
Contact us
If you need any support or have a question, please get in touch.