Templates & Samples Resource Library

The following templates, worksheets, checklists and samples have been gathered from experienced textbook and academic authors and industry professionals to assist you with your own writing.
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Textbook Authoring

NEW! Anatomy of An Author's Email or Letter to Adopting Faculty or Committee
Brand Without Borders Worksheet
Podcast Planning Worksheet 1 – Is Podcasting Right for Me?
Podcast Planning Worksheet 2 – Generating Episode Topics
Podcast Planning Worksheet 3 – Planning Genre & Flow
Podcast Planning Worksheet 4 – Naming Your Podcast
Workflow Chart Template
Royalty Tracking Template
Contacting Copyright Owner to Secure Permissions (with sample letter)
Textbook Development Tracking Template
Specimen Collaboration Agreement Template
Textbook Proposal Sample
Textbook Proposal Sections Template (with sample author bio)
Competitive Grid Template
Project Tracking Whiteboard Template
Author Questionnaire Sample
Market Review Questionnaire Sample
Sample Author Bios

Academic Authoring

Brand Without Borders Worksheet
Writing Log Template
Writing Matrix Template
Writing/Labor Log
Podcast Planning Worksheet 1 – Is Podcasting Right for Me?
Podcast Planning Worksheet 2 – Generating Episode Topics
Podcast Planning Worksheet 3 – Planning Genre & Flow
Podcast Planning Worksheet 4 – Naming Your Podcast
Revise and Resubmit Matrix for Reviewer Feedback
Text-Structure Analysis (TSA) Example
Topic Sentence Outline
Journal Submission Communications Samples
Grant Requirements Matrix Template
Writing Collaboration Planning Template
 | Writing Collaboration Progress Template
Writing Log
Book Review Evaluation Checklist
Writing Accountability Partner Check-Ins Template
Academic Book Proposal Audience Persona Worksheet
Grant Discovery, Preparation & Submission: Classic Checklist of Things to Accomplish
Grant Application Cover Sheet & Project Description Samples
Grant Proposal Self-Assessment Checklist
Statistical Writing Worksheet
Research Program Formula
Research Design Alignment Worksheet
5 Questions for Assessing Research Design Alignment
Determining the Deep Structure of a Particular Journal's Articles Worksheet
Goal-Setting Model: "The Pyramid of Power"
Your Writing Working Preferences: 9 Questions to Help You Write More Effectively

Textbook Authoring

NEW! Anatomy of An Author's Email or Letter to Adopting Faculty or Committee

This guide, developed by Jamie Pope, co-author of Nutrition for a Changing World, the recipient of a 2020 TAA Textbook Excellence Award, walks authors through the essential elements of what to include in the letter to potential adopting faculty or a committee, with concrete examples based on what she does when she is reaching out to these groups for her own book.
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Brand Beyond Borders Worksheet

This worksheet, developed by Janet Salmons, free-range scholar, writer, coach, and artist through Vision2Lead, contains several questions to help you develop your own brand by helping you think about your own identity and what it is you want to present about yourself.
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Podcast Planning Worksheet 1 – Is Podcasting Right for Me?

One of several worksheets contributed by Kevin Patton, textbook author and host of The A&P Professor podcast, this resource helps textbook & academic authors decide whether podcasting will help grow their influence and/or network and how to take the first step: formulating the podcast niche and mission. Watch Patton’s webinar Why Textbook & Academic Authors Should Be Podcasting. Right Now for more background on getting started.
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Podcast Planning Worksheet 2 – Generating Episode Topics

One of several worksheets contributed by Kevin Patton, textbook author and host of The A&P Professor podcast, this resource helps textbook & academic authors generate ideas for topics and guests in an exercise that teaches the user how to avoid ever being without new episode topics and themes. Watch Patton’s webinar Why Textbook & Academic Authors Should Be Podcasting. Right Now for more background on getting started.
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Podcast Planning Worksheet 3 – Planning Genre & Flow

One of several worksheets contributed by Kevin Patton, textbook author and host of The A&P Professor podcast, this resource helps those planning a new podcast with basic decisions such as frequency of episodes, workflow, length of episodes, seasons, interview vs. solo episodes, and other format-related issues. Watch Patton’s webinar Why Textbook & Academic Authors Should Be Podcasting. Right Now for more background on getting started.
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Podcast Planning Worksheet 4 – Naming Your Podcast

One of several worksheets contributed by Kevin Patton, textbook author and host of The A&P Professor podcast, this resource helps those planning a new podcast with tips and a template for trying out podcast names. Also includes a bonus set of “reasons not to podcast.” Watch Patton’s webinar Why Textbook & Academic Authors Should Be Podcasting. Right Now for more background on getting started.
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Royalty Tracking Template

This template was contributed by Juli Saitz, Managing Director of Ankura Consulting. It allows you to track your royalty statements over time by net units, net sales, and royalties earned to better understand how and where your books are selling.
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Workflow Chart Template

This template was contributed by Kevin Patton, author of Anatomy & Physiology (9e), who uses it to track his workflow. Available in both landscape and portrait, each row is a chapter or section and columns track items such as chapter number/title, research, reviews, copyedited draft, etc.
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Contacting Copyright Owner to Secure Permissions (with sample letter)

This document, which includes a sample letter you can adapt in requesting permission to use copyrighted material, was contributed by Elsa Peterson, a freelance editor and author of Copyright and Permissions: What Every Writer and Editor Should Know. Peterson stresses that most publishers will have a standard permission request letter so if you are working with a publisher that is what you should use, but if you are self-publishing a work, or need permission to display something on your website, for example, this sample letter illustrates the basic elements to be included in the letter. The document also includes real-world negotiating angles associated with such a letter.
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Textbook Development Tracking Template

This template was contributed by textbook author Lorraine Papazian-Boyce, author of ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding: A Map for Success, who keeps hers open on her computer at all times as a way to track the progress of her textbook.
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Specimen Collaboration Agreement Template

When two co-authors have a falling out, their joint work can be tied up indefinitely unless they are able to work out a settlement. This is often next to impossible for authors who have become adversarial, said Stephen E. Gillen, Partner at Wood Herron & Evans, who contributed this Specimen Collaboration Agreement Template. The shotgun clause is a way of establishing a fair buy out by one of them of the other’s interest.
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Textbook Proposal Sample

This sample, contributed by Lorraine Papazian-Boyce, author of ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding: A Map for Success, includes the four major sections of a textbook proposal including the Overview, Competition, Detailed Book Outline, and Supplemental Information.
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Textbook Proposal Sections Template (With Sample Author Bio)

This template, contributed by Steven Barkan, author of Criminology: A Sociological Understanding, provides the six proposal sections he uses when writing a textbook proposal, along with his author bio (in section 5, "The Author).
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Competitive Grid Template

This template, contributed by Lorraine Papazian-Boyce, author of ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding: A Map for Success, can be used to create a competitive analysis, one component of most textbook proposals. It includes a grid to list 4 or 5 competitive textbooks across the top and the topic areas of your proposed book down the left hand side so that you can show how it compares to the competition.
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Project Tracking Whiteboard Template

This is the template of a magnetic whiteboard used by textbook author Mike Kennamer to track major projects. The whiteboard contains three columns labeled "project", "status", and "comment". When he takes on a new project, he writes the project name on his whiteboard and uses a combination of writing and magnets to keep up with the status of projects.
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Author Questionnaire Sample

This sample author questionnaire by Focal Press, contributed by Sheila Curran, author of Documentary Storytelling and Archival Storytelling, is a sales and marketing tool that illustrates the information the publisher needs to know about you and your book and your professional memberships, including possible places the book might find an audience, i.e., professional associations, annual meetings, specialized schools or areas of study, etc.
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Market Review Questionnaire Sample

This sample market review questionnaire, contributed by Lorraine Papazian-Boyce, author of ICD-10-CM/PCS Coding: A Map for Success, contains two parts: a Text Description, which thanks the reviewers, includes a 1-2 paragraph summary of the conceptual approach, lists the number and names of sections, special features in the text, and supplemental features in the text; and a Reviewer Questionnaire containing 10 questions to ask to focus the reviewer on the content of the chapters.
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Sample Author Bios

Most textbook proposals require you to include an author bio that will be used when marketing your book. These authors share theirs.
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Academic Authoring

Brand Beyond Borders Worksheet

This worksheet, developed by Janet Salmons, free-range scholar, writer, coach, and artist through Vision2Lead, contains several questions to help you develop your own brand by helping you think about your own identity and what it is you want to present about yourself.
Members: Log in to access Non-members: Join TAA

Writing Log Template

This Excel template, contributed by Margarita Huerta, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational and Clinical Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, helps you to develop a written record of your writing time. Logging your writing time can help you determine how long it takes for you to write different projects, how much time you're actually spending on your writing, and helps build self-motivation. Learn more about how to use this log by watching Huerta and Danielle Feeney's TAA Webinar, "Writing a Dissertation and Beyond: Tips & Tools for Launching and Maintaining Your Writing Productivity." 
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Writing Matrix Template

This Word doc, contributed by Margarita Huerta, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational and Clinical Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, helps you keep a written record of what you are reading by helping you organize information and thoughts. Writing matrixes help synthesize, rather than just summarize what you've read. Learn more about how to use this log by watching Huerta and Danielle Feeney's TAA Webinar, "Writing a Dissertation and Beyond: Tips & Tools for Launching and Maintaining Your Writing Productivity." 
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Writing/Labor Log

This Excel template was contributed by Tammy Clemons, a PhD Candidate in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Kentucky. It can be adapted for both writing projects and managing/documenting time for hourly contract labor. The first three sheets are templates for the spring semester, summer, and fall semester, which include formulas for calculating and adding time logged. The last sheet is a reference that converts time increments to decimals. 
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Podcast Planning Worksheet 1 – Is Podcasting Right for Me?

One of several worksheets contributed by Kevin Patton, textbook author and host of The A&P Professor podcast, this resource helps textbook & academic authors decide whether podcasting will help grow their influence and/or network and how to take the first step: formulating the podcast niche and mission. Watch Patton’s webinar Why Textbook & Academic Authors Should Be Podcasting. Right Now for more background on getting started. 
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Podcast Planning Worksheet 2 – Generating Episode Topics

One of several worksheets contributed by Kevin Patton, textbook author and host of The A&P Professor podcast, this resource helps textbook & academic authors generate ideas for topics and guests in an exercise that teaches the user how to avoid ever being without new episode topics and themes. Watch Patton’s webinar Why Textbook & Academic Authors Should Be Podcasting. Right Now for more background on getting started.
Members: Log in to access Non-members: Join TAA

Podcast Planning Worksheet 3 – Planning Genre & Flow

One of several worksheets contributed by Kevin Patton, textbook author and host of The A&P Professor podcast, this resource helps those planning a new podcast with basic decisions such as frequency of episodes, workflow, length of episodes, seasons, interview vs. solo episodes, and other format-related issues. Watch Patton’s webinar Why Textbook & Academic Authors Should Be Podcasting. Right Now for more background on getting started. 
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Podcast Planning Worksheet 4 – Naming Your Podcast

One of several worksheets contributed by Kevin Patton, textbook author and host of The A&P Professor podcast, this resource helps those planning a new podcast with tips and a template for trying out podcast names. Also includes a bonus set of “reasons not to podcast.” Watch Patton’s webinar Why Textbook & Academic Authors Should Be Podcasting. Right Now for more background on getting started. Download

Revise and Resubmit Matrix for Reviewer Feedback

This template was contributed by Micki M. Caskey, Professor, Portland State University. She is author or editor of more than 75 publications and 100 presentations. The purpose of the template is to guide your systematic analysis and thoughtful response to reviewers’ feedback. After entering the reviewers’ comments, the Revise and Resubmit Matrix helps you to think about how to respond to the comments (e.g., make a change, add content, make no change) during the revision process. Then, you can share your responses (i.e., My response with page number) with the editor to communicate how you improved your manuscript based on reviewer feedback.
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Text-Structure Analysis (TSA) Example

This example of a Text-Structure Analysis (TSA) for three journal articles from College Teaching was contributed by Dannelle Stevens, Professor Emerita at Portland State University, and the co-author of fIve books, including Write more, publish more, stress less! For the last five years she has been the Portland State Faculty-in-Residence for Academic Writing where she initiated the highly successful Jumpstart Faculty Writing Program. The purpose of the template is to illuminate text structures, formats, patterns and detailed expectations of this particular journal by analyzing several recent journal articles or published books. A text-structure analysis focuses your attention on the text structures and patterns used across three recently published works.
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Topic Sentence Outline

This topic sentence outline worksheet contributed by Mary Beth Averill, PhD, MSW, an academic coach and author of How to Become an Academic Coach,shares how to pare a long document down to its essentials so that you can see the big picture.
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Journal Submission Communications Samples

This group of journal submission communication samples, contributed by Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie, editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches, and a co-editor of Research in the Schools, includes samples of all of the letters you will need to communicate with a journal, including Sample Cover Letter Submitted with Initial Manuscript; Sample Email Letter of Inquiry to Determine Status of Manuscript; Sample Letter Responding to Editor’s Rejection Decision; Cover Letter Submitted with Revised Manuscript; Letter from Editor Responding to Revised Manuscript and Cover Letter; Cover Letter that Accompanies Accepted Manuscript; and Cover Letter Submitted with Corrections to the Galleyproofs.
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Grant Requirements Matrix Template

This chart template, contributed by Erin Comeaux, a Grants Coordinator with Pasadena Independent School District in Pasadena, Texas, and Jennifer Travis, a Professor of Mathematics at Lone Star College-North Harris, keeps track of each grant requirement, as well as the solicition/RFP page number or URL, paragraph number or URL, and who is responsible for drafting each requirement, to make sure all the grant's instructions are being followed.
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Writing Collaboration Planning Template
 & Writing Collaboration Progress Template

These two templates, contributed by Margarita Huerta, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational and Clinical Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, are designed to help you maintain successful writing collaborations. The Writing Collaboration Planning Template helps you plan big picture tasks (e.g., how much writing you are expected to produce each year), details (e.g., breaking down the sections of your typical writing piece), and developing a plan of action (e.g., when you will approach your colleagues). The Writing Collaboration Progress Template tracks your progress as a team (e.g., How many manuscripts did you publish this year, how many conference presentations were completed, how many grants accepted?; who will take lead on specific manuscripts?; and when you will you meet?). Listen to Huerta's TAA audio conference, "Thriving in Academia: How to Create and Maintain Productive Writing Collaborations", for more information on how to use these templates.
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Writing Log

This Excel spreadsheet, contributed by Jennifer Travis, PhD., a Professor of Mathematics at Lone Star College, is a powerful yet simple tool for improving writing productivity by recording, analyzing, and sharing your writing time. Watch Travis' TAA webinar, "Track Your Way to Dissertation Success," for more information on how to use this writing log.
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Book Review Evaluation Checklist

This checklist, contributed by Charles Howlett, Associate Professor of Education at Molloy College, outlines the most important items needed for a book review evaluation, including tone & substance, contribution to scholarship, demonstrates knowledge of field, fulfills objectives, balance, quality of editing, references/bibliography, accuracy & appropriate citations, illustrations/charts, and your overall recommendation to readers.
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Writing Accountability Partner Check-Ins Template

This template can be used to help you track your check-ins when working with a writing accountability partner.
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Academic Book Proposal Audience Persona Worksheet

When writing an academic grant proposal, your audience is your number one priority. This sample audience persona, contributed by Ami Hanson, Editor & Content Specialist for Elite Research, LLC, can help you write a persona or persona(s) for your readers by creating people who would read your document, and then writing them a whole story. "Include their demographics, their attitudes, and the reasons they're reading your document, and then write your document as if these people were reading it, and include or exclude information accordingly," she said. Watch Hanson's TAA webinar, "'It's All Greek to Me: Translating Statistical Writing", for more information.
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Grant Discovery, Preparation & Submission: Classic Checklist of Things to Accomplish

This is a checklist of classic things to accomplish during the grant discovery, preparation and submission process, broken down by sequence of events, tasks and help aides, contributed by Grantmaker Jay Matteson.
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Grant Application Cover Sheet & Project Description Samples

These are grant application cover sheet and project description samples, contributed by Richard Hull, former executive director for the Texas Council of the Humanities. Listen to a recording of Hull's TAA Audio Conference, "How to Seek Funding From State Humanities & Arts Councils", for more information.
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Grant Proposal Self-Assessment Checklist

This checklist contributed by Claudia Sanchez, an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Texas Woman’s University, provides a road map to successful grant applications. Listen to her TAA Audio Conference, "Tips for Writing Successful Grant Proposals", for more information.
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Statistical Writing Worksheet

This worksheet, contributed by Ami Hanson, Editor & Content Specialist for Elite Research, LLC, can be used to organize the rationale, action and benefit use persuasion, information and persuasion, or PIP, method. "Because people tend to remember the first and last pieces of information they read, this is a great way to stand out from other proposals," she said. Watch Hanson's TAA webinar, "'It's All Greek to Me: Translating Statistical Writing", for more information.
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Research Program Formula

This formula, contributed by Sonja K. Foss and William J. Waters, authors of Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation, can help you frame your research program or agenda in three simple steps. Watch Foss & Waters' TAA Webinar, "Generating & Refining Research Ideas," for more information.
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Research Design Alignment Worksheet

This worksheet, contributed by Sonja K. Foss and William J. Waters, authors of Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation, should be completed before you begin work on your study or at least before you begin writing your article. That way, say Foss and Waters, you'll be sure that you have a well-designed study that is aligned and internally consistent. Watch Foss & Waters' TAA Webinar, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Publishing Your Academic Article But Were Afraid to Ask," for more information.
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5 Questions for Assessing Research Design Alignment

This document, contributed by Sonja K. Foss and William J. Waters, authors of Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation, shares five questions you should answer "yes" to when assessing whether you have a good plan for your study. Watch Foss & Waters' TAA Webinar, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Publishing Your Academic Article But Were Afraid to Ask," for more information.
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Determining the Deep Structure of a Particular Journal's Articles Worksheet

Most articles in a journal actually share the same deep structure. This worksheet, contributed by Sonja K. Foss and William J. Waters, authors of Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation, can be used to make your article match a particlar journal's deep structure, making the reader respond to that article most favorably. Watch Foss & Waters' TAA Webinar, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Publishing Your Academic Article But Were Afraid to Ask," for more information.
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Goal-Setting Model, "Pyramid of Power"

This goal-setting model, called “The Pyramid of Power,” was contributed by Susan Robison, a psychologist and faculty development consultant with Professor DeStressor, who uses it in her "Create Your Ideal Life (Peak performing professor)" workshops. Many people operate with their goals as a huge top, with a very narrow bottom or no bottom at all, says Robison. “The goals are floating around up in the air and they aren’t anchored to anything,” she said. “The Pyramid of Power reverses that, anchoring your goals.” The Pyramid of Power has four elements: Purpose Statement, Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and How to Make Your Vision Come Alive. Robison is the author of The Peak Performing Professor: A Practical Guide to Productivity and Happiness.
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Your Writing Working Preferences: 9 Questions to Help You Write More Effectively

To write well, effectively, and consistently, we must be at ease. Sometimes we don’t know the right questions to ask to reach the comfort in which we can do our best work. These 9 questions, contributed by Noelle Sterne, author of Challenges in Writing Your Dissertation: Coping With the Emotional, Interpersonal, and Spiritual Struggles, published by Rowman & Littlefield Education, will help you recognize your preferred work times and settings—those in which you’ll probably be most productive and least exhausted. View a PowerPoint teaser of Sterne's book.
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If you have a template, sample or checklist to share, please contact Kim Pawlak at [email protected] or (507) 459-1363.