Because open texts are low-cost and easy to produce, they are sometimes perceived as low-quality compared to commercial textbooks. Peer review allows you to dispel these notions by ensuring a high-quality product. Peer review signals to potential adopters that your open text has passed through a rigorous quality control process. Peer review ensures your content is accurate, adequately covers the material and is suitable for classroom use.
You can use the following check list or any of the guides or rubrics listed below to inform your peer review process.
Comprehensiveness/Subject matter
☐ The text covers subject matter appropriately.
☐ Includes relevant information, informed by research or current practice.
☐ Content will inform the intended audience and encourage inquiry and thought.
Content accuracy
☐ Content is accurate, error-free and unbiased.
Relevance/Longevity
☐ Content is up-to-date, but not in a way that will quickly make the text obsolete within a short period of time.
☐ The text is written and arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be easy to implement.
Clarity
☐ Clear and consistent terminology.
☐ Jargon or technical terminology is adequately explained.
☐ The content is written at an appropriate reading level.
Organisation/Structure
☐ The organisation of topics is logical and clear.
☐ Sections and chapters are arranged appropriately.
Consistency
☐ The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework
Interface
The text is free of significant interface issues, including:
☐ navigation problems
☐ distortion of images/charts
☐ any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader.
Cultural relevance
☐ The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. It should make use of examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities and backgrounds.
Adapted from Self publishing guide. Chapter 29. Peer Review by Lauri M. Aesoph, licensed under CC BY 4.0
Additional resources
Adapted from Open Publishing Guide for Authors, Chapter 18 - Peer review by University of Southern Queensland Library, licensed under CC BY NC 4.0
