Main body
This is a digital-first publication, so it will be important to heavily break up the body text with a mixture of headings, subheadings, multimedia, diagrams, examples, concept boxes and case studies. Adopt a conversational tone and avoid overly formal language that sounds like it belongs in a journal article.
Key structural tips for engaging digital learners:
- "Chunk” your content to make your resource more engaging.
- Mark key transitions between concepts / contexts with a meaningful sub-heading.
- Avoid long stretches of “walls of text”.
Headings
Apply the Headings feature in Word (e.g. 'Heading 1', 'Heading 2' and 'Heading 3' styles) for all your headings and sub-headings. This will enable our digital publishing system to correctly ingest the structure of your manuscript.
Styling and formatting
Style
The eBureau follows the La Trobe University Editorial Style Guide (LTU staff only). Please consult this guide for common questions on standards for grammar, spelling and style.
Length
La Trobe eBureau publications vary in length, from 40,000+ word manuscripts for textbooks to shorter 10,000-word study guides. The length of you project will be determined by the subject matter, context and purpose of the book. With accessibility in mind, individual chapters of your book project should be kept to a 4,000–6,000 maximum word limit with clear headings to break up the text to maintain reader retention. More information on the recommended structure for your manuscript is available below.
Citations
You should use the referencing style nominated by your project leads. Please inform the eBureau team of the citation system that you are intending on using.
Check with your project leads if unsure which referencing style you should use.
Intentionally design for online learner engagement
Our open textbooks differ from traditional textbooks by encouraging active learning, prompting learners to think differently, and provoking changes in practice.
In digital learning environments, online readers do more “scanning” and less deep reading, so we recommend writing that is conversational yet rigorous.
A useful tool for testing the readability of your writing is the Hemingway Editor web tool. It gives you feedback via a “readability score” and highlights recommendations for improvement.
Below are the key methods we most recommend for effective engagement with online learners.
Adopt a conversational voice/use everyday language
Use the first (“I”) and second person (“You”)
Speak directly to the reader. Use "I," "we" and "you" to connect with readers directly.
Example: “When we think about life, most often our definitions are operational…If you search for a succinct definition of life…” (View in Threshold Concepts in Biochemistry.)
Ask rhetorical questions
Pose questions that prompt learners to think, self-reflect and even surprise themselves throughout the text.
Example: “Imagine seeking care and having the nurse diminish your feelings…How would this make you feel?” (View in Introduction to Health Assessment for the Nursing Professional.)
Vary sentence structure
Avoid long, complex sentences and paragraphs. Break up the text to make it easy to read and digest.
Use everyday language
Choose active over passive voice
This makes your writing more direct and dynamic. For example, instead of "the experiment was conducted by the team", write "the team conducted the experiment".
Example: “Imagine that you make a series of simple measurements on a group of people (e.g., patients in your care or subjects in your study)…” (View in Foundations of Biomedical Science.)
Avoid overly formal language
Replace words like “utilised” or "ascertain" with straightforward alternatives like "used" or "find out".
Define jargon clearly
When using technical or discipline-specific terms, explain them in simple, relatable language and/or add them to the glossary in your chapter template. We will digitally activate these terms in an interactive in-text glossary.
Use metaphors and analogies
Connect complex concepts to familiar ideas.
Example: "The cell is structured like a manufacturing factory." (View in Open Education Down UndOER.)
Note: This is a powerful device, but don’t solely rely on it. Learners on the autism spectrum (or for whom English is an additional language) may find these difficult to translate into understanding.