Stay updated on the latest news, advancements, and changes that are shaping the textbook and academic authoring industry with our bi-weekly Industry News Round-Up. Have an item to share? Email Sierra.Pawlak@TAAonline.net.
Trump Official Who Cracked Down on DEI to Lead DOJ’s Civil Rights Office (November 12, 2026)
By Janet Salmons, PhD
When I see AI-generated illustrations I read no further. I suspect that if the writer felt that images made with AI were acceptable, they probably wrote the note, post, or article with AI. Maybe its just me, and other readers don’t make that assumption. But if you are someone who wants to convey authenticity and build credibility, create or find original images. Being able to build trust in your work is essential to scholarly and academic writers, as well as investigative journalists and others so let’s look at human-generated alternatives.
TAA member Brian Swisher, a senior instructor of biology, released his first textbook, The Lake-in-a-Tube Companion: A Resource for Teaching Ecology Through Experimentation.
The book includes eight tested laboratory exercises that support discovery of fundamental concepts in ecology, experimental design, the scientific method, and communicating scientific findings. All experiments are connected by the use of Swisher’s Lake-in-a-Tube system of microcosms which is a scalable, intuitive, flexible, and affordable tool based on readily available supplies.
On October 23, Macmillan emailed its authors whose works are included in the Anthropic Settlement to inform them that they were adjusting their allocations for educational works to 50 percent.
The publisher cited the “unique nature of this particular case” and a desire to “ease its administrative burden” as reasons for the adjustment.
“As an association that has been working hard to support authors in the settlement process, we commend Macmillan for its decision, no matter the motivation for doing so,” said TAA Executive Director Kim Pawlak.
A big thank you to Top Hat for sponsoring the 2027 TAA Conference on Textbook & Academic Authoring at the Platinum level.
Top Hat’s mission is to spark better teaching and learning for a brighter world. Its dynamic courseware helps educators deliver more engaging, relevant and inclusive learning experiences in and outside of the classroom, so all students can succeed. Its extensive catalog of interactive eTexts features titles across all major disciplines, optimized for active learning.
Stay updated on the latest news, advancements, and changes that are shaping the textbook and academic authoring industry with our bi-weekly Industry News Round-Up. Have an item to share? Email Sierra.Pawlak@TAAonline.net.
Top Research Universities Spent Less on Lobbying Congress in Q3 (October 28, 2026)
