Y1 Unit 9.6: What is a Full Manuscript Developmental Edit?
So far we’ve discussed drafting your next chapter and revising your first chapter. All of this content contributes to the full manuscript you’ll submit at the end of Unit 9 for a second round of review by your Developmental Editor. The goal of the full manuscript developmental edit is to identify any steps needed to finalize your manuscript and prepare it for external review, and – most importantly – classroom use.
The table below shows the full packet of documents that make up the full manuscript each team will hand in. Notice that lead authors play an important role in preparing the manuscript for review. After contributing authors submit their chapters to the Lead Author at the end of Unit 9, Lead Authors have two weeks to read all chapters and make necessary changes across the book as a whole. This will help each team member make the most of the developmental edit feedback.
| Document Title | Purpose | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter Docs | Textbook content | Individual authors draft and revise; Lead Author reviews |
| {Course #} About This Book | Defines the original author team’s goals, equity lens, and scope | Created by team; Lead Author reviews |
| {Course #} Key Terms | Glossary terms and definitions that align with learning objectives for each chapter | Individual authors draft and revise; Lead Author reviews |
| {Course #} H5P Questions | Formative assessments that align with learning objectives for each chapter and appear as interactive elements in the Pressbooks platform | Individual authors draft and revise; Lead Author reviews |
| {Course #} Transcript Folder | Collects documents following the {Title of Video} Transcript template. | Individual authors work with Project Manager to create and share transcripts in the folder |
| {Course #} Image Descriptions Folder | Collects long descriptions for complex images. | Individual authors work with Media Developer to create and share long descriptions in the folder |
Remember, all chapter drafts submitted to the Lead Author must be complete. The more complete the manuscript you submit for Developmental Review, the more useful the review will be, and the stronger shape you’ll be in at the end of Year 1.
For our project standards, this means that your draft is readable as a coherent whole. You’ve removed placeholder content, finished sentences and paragraphs, and added content to each chapter section as outlined. It’s okay if some of your citation and attribution formats are iffy, or if some of your H5P questions didn’t get done – these are details that can be chalked up to being 80 percent complete, as we’ve discussed. However, if the Lead Author determines that a chapter draft can’t advance to the developmental edit because it does not meet the 80 percent threshold, that chapter will not be included in the Year 2 version of the book.
While cleaning up your manuscript for this last developmental edit, you will likely find that you have plenty of content that doesn’t have a clear home in your chapters. This is OK – chapters should be as lean and focused as possible. Extra content may be woven back into a chapter in the next round of revisions. Your Parking Lot is the landing spot to copy/paste unfinished paragraphs, incomplete examples and case studies, brainstormed questions, and content that does not align with your chapter learning objectives at this stage of drafting. The Parking Lot can save drafted but disjointed work in case you want to incorporate it later. For now, a good chapter is a completed chapter.
Once the Lead Author submits your manuscript for developmental edit, your Developmental Editor will take four weeks to review the full manuscript and provide feedback. The Developmental Editor will be looking for consistency across chapters, in addition to using the developmental rubric shown in figure Y1 9.4. This is the same rubric that they used for the half manuscript review, with the addition of a category for completeness.
| Characteristics for Review | Well-Developed | Developing | Needs Development |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learner Focus | This manuscript knows its audience and speaks directly and clearly to them at an appropriate level. The chapter has all required parts and the elements are aligned to support student learning. | This manuscript shows progress towards a learner focus and will benefit from work on readability and reducing word count. With more time invested the chapter elements will align to support the learning outcomes. | This manuscript needs to be refocused on the student audience. Chapter elements are missing or lack clarity on connection to learning outcomes. The drafting process is incomplete and outline elements are showing up in the chapter. |
| Representation of Diverse Voices | This manuscript demonstrates an exemplary focus on lifting up diversity, equity, and inclusion through examples, spotlights, and citations. | This manuscript discusses the elements of diversity, equity, and inclusion and will benefit from additional research or inviting new contributors to represent minoritized identities. | This manuscript can do more to support the diversity, equity, and inclusion goals of this project. |
| Accessibility | This manuscript does an excellent job of anticipating the needs of all learners, including students with disabilities. | This manuscript follows some accessibility practices and will benefit from a review to make sure that all learners can use the whole text. | This manuscript will not be accessible to all learners as written. |
| Oregon Context | This manuscript will be relevant and engaging to current, diverse Oregon students. | This manuscript has started to develop its Oregon context and can do more to connect with current, diverse Oregon students. | This manuscript is missing an Oregon context. |
| Complete | All the sections in the outline are present and have content in complete sentences. | Most of the sections in the outline are present and have content in complete sentences. Some elements that are missing or incomplete will need attention in order for students to learn from this textbook. | This manuscript is missing content for a significant number of sections in the outline. |
When you get your Developmental Edit Feedback for Full Manuscript, the Project Manager and Developmental Editor will meet with your team again to discuss revision priorities so that your work will be ready to share beyond your author team.
Why Extensions Are Not An Option
Due to the complexity and interdependence of our workflow, it is not possible to give extensions at this stage of the project. Our timeline is firm so that every member of the project team has time to do their work: our instructional technologist will import your book into Pressbooks, course pilot instructors and instructional designers will design courses adopting your book, students will learn from your book, and reviewers will provide feedback.
If the Lead Author determines that a chapter draft does not meet the 80 percent threshold at the end of Unit 9, the chapter may be reassigned. The Lead Author will meet with the Project Manager and other leadership team members to problem-solve how to adjust the Year 2 version of the book to account for the missing chapter so that the textbook is still usable with students. For example, the Lead Author may add a note to the {Course #} Prelaunch Front and Back Matter document that recommends supplemental resources, and they may minimally revise other chapters to meet course outcomes in the absence of the missing chapter content.
There is not another opportunity for chapter drafts to receive developmental edit, peer review, workforce advisory board review, pilot instructor feedback, or student feedback. If the chapter is written/rewritten during Year 2 by the Lead Author or a new Contributing Author, it will be handed off to the Revising Author in Year 3 as an unvetted draft.
Please work with your Project Manager and other team members to avoid this unhappy outcome! Our books are carefully scoped and aligned, so missing a chapter has a significant impact on the whole. We want every author on the project to succeed and we can help you if you reach out in time.
Unit Self-Check Questions
Licenses and Attributions for What is a Full Manuscript Developmental Edit?
Open content, original
“What is a Full Manuscript Developmental Edit?” by Open Oregon Educational Resources is licensed CC BY 4.0.
Open content, shared previously
Figure Y1 9.4 is adapted from “OER Half MS Developmental Review Template” by Stephanie Lenox for Chemeketa Press, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
