Writing Boxes: The Reading/Writing Connection in Libraries  by Von Drasek, Lisa (CC BY-NC)

A guidebook and source of programming inspiration for all librarians working with early to young adult readers. Librarians will find thematic, easy to implement, hour-long writing workshops that require only paper, markers, and excited young writers. Published in 2019 by University of Minnesota.

Academic Integrity by Ulrike Kestler (CC BY-NC-SA).

An interactive approach to conveying the values of academic integrity, clarifying the meaning of plagiarism, and introducing the basics of citations, quoting and paraphrasing. Published in 2021 by Kwantlen Polytechnic.

Academic Writing Basics by Megan Robertson (CC BY-NC-SA).

Designed specifically for Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, this Pressbook offers interactive activities and strategies for developing academic writing skills. Learners have the opportunity to review key parts of the writing process from interpreting their assignment instructions, organizing their ideas, drafting their writing, and revising their work. Published in 2019 by Kwantlen Polytechnic.

Brehe’s Grammar Anatomy by Steven Brehe (CC BY-SA).

This book provides an in-depth look at beginner grammar terms and concepts, providing clear examples with limited technical jargon. It includes practices exercises, a full glossary and index, and easy-to-read language. Published 2025 by University of Georgia.

Building Blocks of Academic Writing  by Carellin Brooks (CC BY-NC).

Building Blocks of Academic Writing covers typical writing situations for developing academic writers, from prewriting and research through expressing themselves online. Developmental work in different types of paragraphs—descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive—allows students to build capacity for longer essays. Each chapter includes review questions with a Canadian focus that instructors can assign to help students practise the skills developed in the text. This book aligns with the BC ABE Level: Intermediate English. [Published in 2020 by Bc Campus.]

Designing Arguments for Academic, Public, and Professional Audiences – Fourteenth Edition  by Phillip Marzluf (CC BY-NC).

This college-level textbook guides students through five different types of arguments: evaluations, responses, persuasive rhetorical arguments, proposals, and practical professional development arguments. Students are introduced to rhetorical concepts and strategies to enable them to more effectively appeal to different types of audiences. Students will gain practice in audience-based reasoning, basing their reasons and evidence on the assumptions, beliefs, and values of their readers.[Published by New Prairie Press  in 2021 and updated in 2024]

English 101 E-Text Writing for the Rhetorical Situation [Word]  by Emily Wicker Ligon (CC BY)

This e-text focuses on writing for the rhetorical situation. The e-text will not give you a formula for writing, but it will teach you tools that you can use in your writing. These tools will help you decipher the rhetorical situation and how to address it accordingly.

A Guide to Rhetoric, Genre, and Success in First-Year Writing by Melanie Gagich & Emilie Zickel (CC BY-NC-SA)

This book combines the Introduction to Writing in College by Melanie Gagich and ENG 102: Reading, Writing and Research by Emilie Zickel. This book also contains complete and remixed chapters from other authors, links to several essays from the open source textbook series Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, and several links to articles from the open source website Writing Commons. Additionally, parts of this book also come out of a remixed version of Robin Jeffrey’s, About Writing, which have been rearranged, amended, edited, and enhanced with digital reading experience by including videos and visual reading features.

Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing by Kisha G. Tracy (CC BY-NC-SA).

In first-year writing courses, it can often feel that we practice writing and research in a vacuum. Writing is about communication, and, if we do not feel that we have an audience, then it can seem like our writing has no purpose (even though practice of any kind will help us develop these skills). Heritages of Change: Curatorial Activism and First-Year Writing is a method for students to think about the social changes that were prevalent during the COVID years and remain important in their wake. Heritages of Change is a lens for thinking and writing about these ideas. Through curation and exhibition as an act of activism, students focus on a specific audience with whom they can communicate authentically about this dynamic world.

Informed Arguments: A Guide to Writing and Research by Terri Pantuso, Sarah LeMire, Kathy Anders,  (CC BY-NC-SA)

This book is appropriate for a first-year composition course focusing on academic writing, reading, researching, and speaking. Major concepts in argument theory are covered. Updated in 2022 by Texas A&M University.

Open Technical Writing: An Open-Access Text for Instruction in Technical and Professional Writing by Adam Rex Pope (CC BY-SA)

This book presents technical writing as an approach to researching and carrying out writing that centers on technical subject matter. Each and every chapter is devoted to helping students understand that good technical writing is situationally-aware and context-driven. Published 2018 by University of Arkansas.

Professional and Technical Writing by Suzie Baker (CC BY-NC)

This textbook for professional and technical communication is a compilation of several Open Resource materials. The purpose in its design is to provide a wide variety of materials on subjects in professional and technical communication, and to offer several different perspectives and delivery modes of those materials.

(Re)Writing Communities and Identities – Sixth Edition by Phillip Marzluf, Anna Goins, Cindy Debes, Stacia Gray, A. Abby Knoblauch (CC BY-NC)

(Re)Writing Communities and Identities enables college-level students to develop their ability to compose various informative and expressive genres, including analyses, reflections, summaries, syntheses, and informative reports. While students raise their consciousness about their writing process and audience-based informative strategies, they also familiarize themselves with important social and cultural issues related to the theme of “identities and communities.” [Published by New Prairie Press  in 2021 and updated in 2024]

Roughwriter’s Guide: A Handbook for Writing Well by Dr. Karen Palmer and Dr. Sandi Van Lieu (CC BY-NC-SA)

This guide provides students with help navigating academic writing, including all aspects of the writing process, MLA and APA formatting, and grammatical and mechanical issues. Published in 2020.

Science and Culture: Readings for Writers  by Jenée Wilde and Stephen Rust (CC BY-NC-SA)

Science and Culture is a resource intended for college and secondary students to engage with scientific concepts, facts, and history as they relate to society in the United States and globally. The multimodality, diversity of voices, and range of topics should appeal to anyone interested in exploring these particular knowledge debates across natural and social sciences, humanities, and creative arts. The themes in this volume have been cultivated to engage readers not merely as receptors of information but as active participants in this ongoing process of knowledge building.

Technical and Report Writing [Google doc] by Amber Kinonen (CC BY)

This textbook provides an introduction to technical and report writing for first-year students. It also covers ethical and legal obligations, social and collaborative communication, types of technical documents, and research. Published in 2017 by Bay College.

Technical Writing @SLCC by Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies at SLCC(CC BY-NC)

This textbook is for use in the English 2100 Technical Writing courses at Salt Lake Community College. It contains  reading materials that the Technical Writing Committee of the English department have deemed important for students of ENGL 2100 to learn. Published by Salt Lake Community college in 2020.

 Writing for Success – 1st Canadian H5P Edition by Tara Horkoff (CC BY-NC-SA)

Writing for Success is a text that provides instruction in steps, builds writing, reading, and critical thinking, and combines comprehensive grammar review with an introduction to paragraph writing and composition. It includes over 150 interactive H5P activities. Published in 2021 by BC campus.

Videos on Composition By Lance Eaton (CC BY)

By Lance Eaton from Massachusetts’ based North Shore Community College.

Writability Podcast (CC BY-NC)

An openly licensed series of conversations with our faculty and staff: podcast episode topics range from tips for successful online students to the 5-paragraph essay to remote Library services. Most episodes are English and/or writing-focused but include a lot of cross-discipline conversations as well. The podcast with transcripts is housed in a library-hosted LibGuide; they’re also accessible from the Internet Archive and podcast apps. Updated in 2024.