# Introduction

Welcome to this guide on how to create open textbooks using Wikiwijs.
This material was developed by the Erasmus University Library to support lecturers who wish to write, publish and share open textbooks within the framework of Open Education and Open Science at EUR.

Wikiwijs is part of the national infrastructure for open educational resources in the Netherlands. It allows educators to easily create, structure and publish materials online.
While the platform is often used for individual lessons or course modules, it can also be used to produce full-length open textbooks, structured works that include multiple chapters, subchapters, appendices and references.

After completing this guide you will know how to:

- Create an open textbook in Wikiwijs

- Structure chapters, subchapters and sections

- Collaborate with co-authors

- Apply Creative Commons licences correctly

- Publish your textbook and make it visible on edusources

- And (optionally), deposit your book in the EUR institutional repository for DOI assignment and preservation

Note: Wikiwijs is currently only available in Dutch. Don’t let that stop you: most users can work through the platform using their browser’s translation feature (e.g., Chrome/Edge “Translate”).
This guide was created using an in-browser translation tool, and the screenshots reflect that. Your translated interface may look a little different, but the page layout and button positions are the same. If you get stuck on a specific term or menu label, try toggling the translation on/off to see the original Dutch wording, and use the screenshots to confirm you are in the right place.

Why create an open textbook?

An open textbook is a freely available educational resource that can be used, adapted and redistributed by anyone, provided proper attribution is given.

Publishing your textbook openly supports:

- Accessible and inclusive education – students can use the book freely without financial barriers.

- Up-to-date teaching – lecturers can easily revise or adapt existing materials.

- Collaboration – multiple educators can co-author and continuously improve a shared text.

- Societal impact – knowledge produced at the university becomes visible and reusable beyond EUR.

Open textbooks are a key component of EUR’s Open Science and Open Education strategy, promoting transparency, innovation and reuse in teaching.