Information for Authors and Submitters
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 25 September 2019 15:00
This page contains detailed information for authors who are ready to post original material or adaptations using the QUBES Resource System. For more information about OER visit the linked pages below:
Overview | Workspace | Content | Description | Authors | Extras | License | Tags | Change Notes | Submission
Overview
There are three broad types of resources hosted on QUBES - New resources, new versions of existing resources, and adaptations of existing resources.
When you have drafts of the files and links that make up your resource (the data) you will need to upload them onto the QUBES server and supply some descriptive information about the resource (meta data) before it can be published.
The resource data can include multiple files and file types. There is a maximum size of 1 GB for the collection of files, but more space can be requested if necessary.
The meta data you will be asked to supply will include: title, description, abstract, authors, tags, and change notes.
You will also need to select a Creative Commons license for the resource.
After posting your resource you will be able to share updates by creating a new version or adaptation of that resource.
Details about each of these steps are provided in the instructions below. For more technical information, follow embedded links to Knowledge Base articles.
QUBES Suggestion: Perfection is the enemy of progress. The QUBES Resource System is designed to support the evolution of teaching resources as they are modified for different audiences and teaching settings, as well as updates of resources as they are refined by the original authors. This is done by tracking the relationships between various versions and making them easy to navigate. However, none of this will occur if your resource is not shared. Use the “Release Notes” field to describe the status of your work, invite contributions, and describe future plans for it.
Workspace
Whether posting original content or adapting an existing resource, you will need to decide where you want to work. Working in a Project will give you a permanent space to update materials and collaborate with others. Or you can post materials quickly outside of a Project. If you are adapting a resource, you must start at the original resource record, click Adapt and then choose whether to work within a Project or post directly.
QUBES suggestion: Work from a Project so you have a permanent place to manage your materials, collaborate with others, and update the resource in the future.
Content
QUBES resources can contain nearly any file type, links, other QUBES resources, or just metadata. The submission process is smoother when you upload all of your material to a Project repository prior to starting a new resource.
Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are great collaborative resources, but it can be difficult to ensure version histories are preserved within them. If your resource contains a Google file, we suggest sharing the content as a more permanent, but still editable, file type (.docx, .pptx). If you are interested in collecting comments and other feedback on your materials, one strategy is to publish a “comment only” version on Google Docs. Upon making significant changes, you can version both your Google material and QUBES resource.
If you plan to post a Series (a resource with other resources as content), the other resources must be posted first. The Series should be posted last. Linked here is an example of a Series.
An important piece of content is an image to use for your resource. The image appears automatically wherever the resource is displayed as a card or featured content.
QUBES suggestion: Upload your files (including your image) to a Project repository before starting a new resource, and use file types that are stable but editable.
Description
There are three parts to the description tab:
Title
The resource title is very important as it appears on the full record and in the card view. There is a 255 character limit. There are additional considerations when posting an adaptation of an existing resource, as each record needs to stand alone:
- Avoid duplicating the original title
- Avoid using the title of any other adaptations of that resource
- Avoid author names in the title
- Add a distinguishing feature of the adaptation
- Include information about how you modified the resource
Abstract
The abstract is also limited to 255 characters and appears on the full record and card view of the resource. The abstract should be a brief description of the material with a few distinguishing points. For example, if the material is educational material include learning objectives.
Description
The description should be a fuller explanation of what the resource is, how it was used, and any other relevant information that will be helpful to others considering using your resource. The description field does not have a character limit. You can also add links in the description field to other resources, web pages, or QUBES groups. If you would like to make any acknowledgements, include them as the last piece of your description.
This is not the place to enter information about how you versioned or adapted a resource; that information will go in the Change Notes.
QUBES Suggestion: Putting effort into creating a descriptive title, abstract, and description will make your resource more attractive and more likely to be used and adapted by others. Remember, when users are browsing the resource collection they will likely only see the title, abstract, and resource image.
Authors
List yourself and other collaborators as authors on the resource. Anyone who contributed to the resource should be included in the author list. A QUBES account is not required to be listed as an author. If you are posting an adaptation, do not list the original authors.
QUBES Suggestion: Ensure that authorship represents contributions to the current version of the material. Anyone who contributed, with or without a QUBES account, should be an author. Original authors should not be carried over to adaptations; adapted resources have an automatic attribution back to the original material.
Extras
Select your uploaded image file here. The image is a visual representation of your resource that influences whether people view your material.
Avoid adding any material in the "Supporting Docs" section. All content and files should be included in the main content area (first tab).
QUBES Suggestion: Include an image! Resources are often displayed as cards around the site, highlighting the included image. If you don't have an image to use, check out collections like Unsplash and Pexels.
License
QUBES offers a variety of Creative Commons licenses as well as a custom option. For original material, authors may choose any license. The default and suggested license is Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. This license allows for sharing adaptations of the work, as long as all adaptations are shared alike. It also allows for commercial sharing of the work.
For adapted material, if the original license contains "ShareAlike" then you must select the same license for your adaptation. It is also important to note that licenses containing "No-Derivatives" do not allow for adaptations to be published.
QUBES Suggestion: Review all licensing options and restrictions before posting or adapting a resource.
Tags
QUBES has built-in tagging ontologies. It is required to choose at least one label from these ontologies. You can also enter your own tag. Be as specific as possible, as adding additional tags increases the discoverability of your resource. We encourage you to add as many tags as you would like. When versioning or adapting a resource, the initial tags are carried over.
QUBES Suggestion: Utilize both the QUBES ontology and custom tagging options.When using the custom option tags will appear as you type. If possible, choose an existing option. If any tags carry over from previous versions that are no longer relevant, delete them.
Change Notes
Change notes are important information for new versions and adapted resources. This is where you should describe in detail how this version or adaptation is different from the original or previous version.
QUBES Suggestion: Enter release notes when you update a version or post an adapted resource.
Submission
On the final page you will have the chance to see what your posted resource will look like. You will also agree to the QUBES Terms of Use.
QUBES Suggestion: Follow the link to review your resource record before submitting. You can return to any section to make edits if needed. Keep the default option to post your resource immediately.
Managing your Contributions
All of your resources are accessible from your Profile, under the Contributions tab.
- Track: Views and downloads are available on the resource record
- Version: You can start a new version from the resource record by clicking, "Manage this Resource."