How to Submit a ResourceThese Author Guidelines are simply an indication of the criteria that Classroom Resources Ltd adopt when looking at teacher's submissions. They are not prescriptive and teacher authors should not be put off from submitting work that does not meet all of these guidelines. This is especially true of resources that contain a lot of pictures or graphics or are IT based.
Resources we accept are normally a minimum of 30 sides, screens or photocopiable masters around a particular theme or topic in your chosen subject area. Often resources run to many more pages than this, but any less means it is not really a viable purchase for a school department. We also accept PowerPoint based resources or those simply delivered on disc. When you submit your resource we like to receive it in hard copy - on paper - where possible, as well as in electronic format to eliminate any problems of layout or PC compatibility.
Please send 3 synopses to us with your resource, (which may be precis of each other), for us to use as a basis for our various marketing flyers and for web advertising. These need to be roughly 250 words, 125 words and 50 words long. They should be upbeat, emphasizing - the nature of the resource - the particular curriculum/syllabus fit - its uniqueness - teaching and learning styles used and - any other useful information that a prospective purchaser or teacher would need to know. Examples of the synopses are available on our web site describing various resources but it is particularly important to tie in your resource if possible with any particular syllabus, module or area of study that it follows.
Classroom Resources Ltd does not supply inspection copies of resources to prospective purchasers but we do supply sample pages to teachers on request. We like our authors to choose the best five sample pages from their resource that they would like sent together with the contents page. When you submit your resource please also send additional paper copies of these five sample pages together with the contents page, clearly marked as your choice of sample pages.
As Classroom Resources Ltd are an international company and our products are advertised and sold worldwide, references to your own school or to specific Key Stages and National Curriculums should be avoided where possible (with the exception of resources designed around specific exams or courses). Target groups should be referred to by age, for example 11-14 for KS3, 14-16 for KS4 etc in both promotional literature and within resources. This helps schools abroad readily identify the intended age group for your resource.
For paper based materials an introduction needs to be included before the contents page in your resource, outlining where the resource fits into the curriculum, how best it is used, its contents and who it is aimed at. This can be a copy of your synopsis and as it will be printed as part of the resource itself is an essential part of any submission. A full contents page must be included with all pages numbered (excluding cover, title and introduction page). Please also include answers to any questions set on separate pages where appropriate.
Page numbers should be 2cm up from the bottom of each page, centred in the middle and match the contents page. Pages should have a clear margin of at least 25mm on all sides. This is extremely important as it enables the resources to be ring bound as schools prefer, as well as easily photocopiable without copying the ring binding which marks pupil sheets. It also leaves space for the Classroom Resources logo and copyright. Please do not put any other logo, authors name, school name or copyright on any pages of the resource. Classroom Resources will credit each author and give intellectual copyright details on the inside cover sheet when we assign your resource with its unique ISBN number.
Classroom Resources will deal with layout issues where appropriate, however we positively discourage over design, use of half tones, drop shadows, colours or shading - remember the quality of school photocopiers might turn your master into a mess! Please do not use text boxes around the outside of each page as this also makes the resource impossible to ring bind and photocopy - less is more!
To avoid compatibility issues, standard sans serif (without tails and upstrokes) fonts should be used where possible because these are easier to read. Do not use bold for the body of the text. Preferred sizes are between 16-20 points for titles and headers and 12-14 points for body text. Multiple fonts should be avoided unless they are an integral part of your resource.
Examples of standard fonts:
Arial
Verdana
Helvetica
Comic Sans MS (recommended for special needs students)
All pages of a resource must be formatted in exactly the same way in regard to margins and justification. Use templates if needed. Pages must start on the same line, fonts be consistent in size and layout and match from page to page or document to document. When sending the electronic version a single file should contain the whole resource rather than single pages. Resources must be thoroughly proof-read before final submission by someone other than the author.
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What Happens Next?After your resource has been submitted it will be promptly assessed for its suitability by our panel of teacher consultants who will accept the resource or return it with suggestions for improvements and modification. After your resource has been accepted you will be sent two copies of our standard contract, one for you to keep the other to sign and return. Classroom Resources Ltd licences the copyright from you for a limited period of time in order to market your resource. Intellectual copyright remains yours at all times and you are credited as the author on each copy, the copyright reverting to you at the end of the contract.
Your resource will be converted into a PDF (portable document file) and each order will be generated from the PDF so that we carry no stock and each unit produced is a first generation master. As author you will be sent the first copy produced.
Classroom Resources Ltd will market your resource to schools, bookshops, education suppliers and other academic institutions worldwide by carefully targeted mailings, Web listings and other promotions. We take care of all production, despatch and invoicing. You will receive royalty statements twice a year detailing all of the sales that have taken place and you will be sent a royalty payment of between 10% and 20% of gross sales depending on the number sold, on receipt of your invoice.
We guarantee to pay our authors more royalties than they will be offered from any other education publisher and will even pay authors switching from other publishers a "Golden Hello" by way of welcome!
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Sample SynopsesAQA’s Entry Level for English (50 words)
This material has been developed to help students following AQA’s Entry Level English course (Specification A). It aims to provide lively material, which is also well structured and supportive allowing students of low ability, or bi-lingual pupils with limited English acquisition, full access to this course. Elements of the course can be taught alongside GCSE.
AQA’s Entry Level for English (125 words)
This material has been developed to help students following AQA’s Entry Level English course (Specification A). It aims to provide lively material, which is also well structured and supportive allowing students of low ability, or bi-lingual pupils with limited English acquisition, full access to this course.
A response has been developed to all twelve units to allow teachers maximum flexibility in structuring the course and we have indicated where units might work in conjunction with the GCSE syllabus, although they may be taught separately.
Most importantly, the material has been designed to be relevant to the lives of the students taking the course, so that they enjoy their work towards completion of the Entry Level Certificate.
AQA’s Entry Level for English (250 words)
This material has been developed to help students following AQA’s Entry Level English course (Specification A). It aims to provide lively material, which is also well structured and supportive allowing students of low ability, or bi-lingual pupils with limited English acquisition, full access to this course.
A response has been developed to all twelve units to allow teachers maximum flexibility in structuring the course and we have indicated where units might work in conjunction with the GCSE syllabus, although they may be taught separately.
Each unit has a full set of photocopiable worksheets that are easily accessible to students with clear instructions allowing an element of independence in their studies. These sheets are designed to be used as evidence for the Internal Portfolio and provide practice for all External Assignments. Few additional resources are required and these are clearly listed at the front of the pack.
The use of ICT is encouraged throughout this course and each unit indicates where there are specific opportunities for ICT.
Most importantly, the material has been designed to be relevant to the lives of the students taking the course, so that they enjoy their work towards completion of the Entry Level Certificate.
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How To Send In Your ResourcesIf you are interested in submitting a resource for our consideration, please send it to:
The Resource Editor
Classroom Resources Ltd
PO Box 1489
Bristol, BS99 3QJ.
The Author Guidelines are intended as an aid to the teachers during preparation of resources prior to submitting them to Classroom Resources Limited. It is not meant to be prescriptive, and if you have any queries whatsoever please do not hesitate to contact Classroom Resources Limited for further advice or guidance.
You could also have a look at a letter we received from one of our authors and at our Newsletter which goes out to all of our authors. These should give you more of an idea of what it means to be an author with Classroom Resources.
Good luck and I look forward to receiving your resource!
John Hickey
Managing Director
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