Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Population Health for Nurses
Jessica Ochs; Sherry L. Roper; Susan M. Schwartz; Emily Berkowitz · OpenStax, Rice University
Population Health for Nurses prepares nurses to develop interventions, policies, and practices that promote health equity and improved health outcomes across the health care delivery continuum. The text emphasizes the social determinants of health and how nurses can plan and implement health promotion and disease prevention interventions. It takes a holistic perspective, connecting human health behavior to the dynamic, ongoing interactions of the person, social factors, and the physical environment in which people are born, live, learn, play, work, and age. OpenStax Population Health for Nurses uses a logical, thematic organization that breaks down content into manageable chunks. It presents the material in 35 chapters, organized into 7 thematic units. The text defines and distinguishes among the interrelated nursing areas of population health, public health, and community health nursing, providing both historical context and up-to-date research to help students make connections across content that can inform practice. The result is a holistic approach that applies theoretical concepts to the practical assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation steps of client care and community-tailored interventions.
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Organizational Behavior
J. Stewart Black; David S. Bright; Donald G. Gardner; Eva Hartmann · OpenStax, Rice University
This OpenStax resource aligns to introductory courses in Organizational Behavior. The text presents the theory, concepts, and applications with particular emphasis on the impact that individuals and groups can have on organizational performance and culture. An array of recurring features engages students in entrepreneurial thinking, managing change, using tools/technology, and responsible management.
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Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition
John McMurry, Professor Emeritus · OpenStax, Rice University
John McMurry's Organic Chemistry is renowned as the most clearly written book available for organic chemistry. In John McMurry's words, "I wrote this book because I love writing. I get great pleasure and satisfaction from taking a complicated subject, turning it around until I see it clearly from a new angle, and then explaining it in simple words." In Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition from OpenStax, McMurry continues this tradition while updating scientific discoveries, highlighting new applications, scrutinizing every piece of art, and providing example problems to assist students. Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition continues to meet the scope and sequence of a two-semester organic chemistry course that follows a functional group approach. A highlighted list of changes along with a detailed table of contents and ancillary descriptions can be found on the Instructor and Student resources sections of this page. John McMurry decided to publish Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition under an open license as a tribute to his son, Peter McMurry, who passed away from cystic fibrosis in December 2019. Please click here to learn more about Peter's legacy and to support the fight against cystic fibrosis.
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Nutrition for Nurses
Emerald Charity Bilbrew; Jody Vogelzang; Kelli Whittington; Amy B. Britt · OpenStax, Rice University
Nutrition for Nurses is structured to support the flexible integration of nutrition content across both system-based and nursing competency-based curricula. It can be used whether nutrition is taught as a standalone course or part of another nursing course. The table of contents for Nutrition for Nurses presents content in 20 chapters, organized into 9 thematic units. The text emphasizes evidence-based practice and holistic assessment to facilitate the integration of nutritional awareness for pre-licensure nursing students in the provision of client-centered care. Nutrition for Nurses helps students develop sound clinical judgment as well as a deep understanding of the impact of nutrition on body systems across the lifespan. Written and reviewed by highly experienced faculty, Nutrition for Nurses includes a detailed narrative, extensive features and learning resources, and ample student support. The presentation utilizes concepts promoting the development of clinical judgment by building upon the systematic model developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
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Microbiology
Nina Parker; Mark Schneegurt; Anh-Hue Thi Tu; Summer Allen · OpenStax, Rice University
Microbiology covers the scope and sequence requirements for a single-semester microbiology course for non-majors. The book presents the core concepts of microbiology with a focus on applications for careers in allied health. The pedagogical features of the text make the material interesting and accessible while maintaining the career-application focus and scientific rigor inherent in the subject matter. Microbiology’s art program enhances students’ understanding of concepts through clear and effective illustrations, diagrams, and photographs. Microbiology is produced through a collaborative publishing agreement between OpenStax and the American Society for Microbiology Press. The book aligns with the curriculum guidelines of the American Society for Microbiology.
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Medical-Surgical Nursing
Christy Bowen; Bridget Carey; Jessica Palozie; Maren Reinholdt · OpenStax, Rice University
Medical-Surgical Nursing is a comprehensive and engaging resource for nursing students, equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills required to provide high-quality care. Building on the foundational knowledge and skills acquired in previous nursing courses, this textbook expands students’ learning with concepts in medical-surgical nursing. The offering provides the background to ensure that nursing students are well-versed in both the science and art of nursing, capable of critical thinking, clinical judgment, and compassionate care. Medical-Surgical Nursing encompasses a broad range of patient-care situations, from managing chronic conditions to providing postoperative care. The material includes concise explanations to facilitate understanding, as well as rich reviews of pathophysiology, ensuring students grasp essential concepts without becoming overwhelmed. Beyond theoretical knowledge, the text emphasizes the development of practical skills and competencies, and incorporates evidence-based best practices into each of its 38 chapters.
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Maternal-Newborn Nursing
Amy Giles; Regina Prusinski; Laura Wallace; Leah Elliott · OpenStax, Rice University
Maternal-Newborn Nursing introduces students to the concepts and skills related to pregnancy, birth, postpartum, newborn care, reproductive health, and social determinants related to those topics. Written and thoroughly reviewed by experienced nurse educators, the material focuses on patient safety, mental health, and inclusive care, and offers robust real-world scenarios and situational patient education experiences to apply concepts to practice. Maternal-Newborn Nursing builds on the students’ existing knowledge and skills and expands their learning to new concepts and considerations. Students will be able to implement the Clinical Judgement Measurement Model to recognize, analyze, prioritize, create, act on, and evaluate outcomes throughout the many conditions presented across the life stages. The offering integrates core frameworks such as QSEN, and its robust sets of practice questions, unfolding case studies, and additional resources support the Next Generation NCLEX.
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Lifespan Development
Diana Riser; Rose Spielman; David Biek; Alisa Beyer · OpenStax, Rice University
Lifespan Development aligns to the topics and objectives of most introductory developmental psychology courses taught across departments. Grounded in foundational theories and scientific research, the text teaches students about core aspects of human development—physical, cognitive, social, emotional—across the lifespan. A primary goal of the book is to incorporate content, scholarship, and activities that explore a variety of perspectives that encourage all students to feel seen and included. Lifespan Development strives to openly address complex topics with scholarly responsibility and an effort to increase equity and inclusion in the research presented, as well as to foster student engagement in the classroom through relevant examples and applications. Focused on driving meaningful and memorable learning experiences, the narrative places concepts in contexts that give students the means to understand human development and how that knowledge can be applied to and improve their own lives and the lives of others.
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Introductory Business Statistics 2e
Alexander Holmes; Barbara Illowsky; Susan Dean; Nancy Foreman · OpenStax, Rice University
Introductory Business Statistics 2e aligns with the topics and objectives of the typical one-semester statistics course for business, economics, and related majors. The text provides detailed and supportive explanations and extensive step-by-step walkthroughs. The author places a significant emphasis on the development and practical application of formulas so that students have a deeper understanding of their interpretation and application of data. Problems and exercises are largely centered on business topics, though other applications are provided in order to increase relevance and showcase the critical role of statistics in a number of fields and real-world contexts. The second edition retains the organization of the original text. Based on extensive feedback from adopters and students, the revision focused on improving currency and relevance, particularly in examples and problems. A detailed transition guide is available for instructors. The first edition of Introductory Business Statistics by OpenStax is available in web view here.
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Introduction to Political Science
Mark Carl Rom; Masaki Hidaka; Rachel Bzostek Walker; Emilia B. Carvalho · OpenStax, Rice University
Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, OpenStax Introduction to Political Science provides a strong foundation in global political systems, exploring how and why political realities unfold. Rich with examples of individual and national social action, this text emphasizes students’ role in the political sphere and equips them to be active and informed participants in civil society. Learn more about what this free, openly-licensed textbook has to offer you and your students.
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Introduction to Business 2e
Lawrence J. Gitman; Carl McDaniel; Amit Shah; Monique Reece · OpenStax, Rice University
Introduction to Business 2e provides a strong, multidimensional foundation in the concepts, skills, and real-world examples of contemporary business. Welcoming and relevant narratives support students as they engage in core themes such as decision making, ethics, customer satisfaction, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing technological and societal changes. The material includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations. Extensive illustrations, case studies, review materials, and assessments offer instructors and learners the tools needed to develop a deep, practical understanding. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for success in further studies and careers. The Second Edition was written with extensive input from faculty, industry experts, and students. Revisions focus on currency, emerging technologies, changing business practices, and evolving legal and ethical dynamics. The authors emphasize course-wide themes, including the impacts and implications of artificial intelligence, the changing nature of the workplace, and new approaches to team dynamics. A detailed transition guide is available in the instructor resources. Introduction to Business 2e is supported by instructor ancillaries, and is available in OpenStax Assignable. As described in OpenStax’s accessibility statement and related documentation, we focus on inclusive development and detailed evaluation to ensure that our platforms and course materials meet relevant WCAG guidelines.
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Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience
Elizabeth D. Kirby; Melissa J. Glenn; Noah J. Sandstrom; Christina L. Williams · OpenStax, Rice University
Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience aligns to the topics and objectives of introductory behavioral neuroscience courses taught in psychology, biology, neuroscience, and similar departments. This offering is intended for undergraduates with no presumed college-level science coursework, and presents the foundational principles of brain-behavior-environment interactions. In Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience, students will begin to understand how the physiology of the nervous system and the environment dictate our movements, thoughts and feelings. Students will be challenged to think about real neuroscience experiments, appreciate how neuroscience knowledge evolves over time, and consider open questions in the field. They will also be invited to learn about the people behind the science, such as through interview videos and researcher profiles. The development of this material was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under IOS-2035041 to Elizabeth Kirby. The opinions, descriptions, recommendations, and findings are those of the contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF. An Affordable Learning Exchange grant to Elizabeth Kirby from the Ohio State University also supported development of this material.
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Entrepreneurship
Michael Laverty; Chris Littel; Chandra D. Arthur; Martin S. Bressler · OpenStax, Rice University
This textbook is intended for use in introductory Entrepreneurship classes at the undergraduate level. Due to the wide range of audiences and course approaches, the book is designed to be as flexible as possible. Theoretical and practical aspects are presented in a balanced manner, and specific components such as the business plan are provided in multiple formats. Entrepreneurship aims to drive students toward active participation in entrepreneurial roles, and exposes them to a wide range of companies and scenarios.
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Contemporary Mathematics
Donna Kirk; Barbara Boschmans; Brian Beaudrie; Matthew Cathey · OpenStax, Rice University
Contemporary Mathematics is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements for a liberal arts mathematics course. This resource provides stand-alone sections with a focus on showing relevance in the features as well as the examples, exercises, and exposition. Contemporary Mathematics integrates technology applications, projects, and highlights a diverse group of contributors to mathematics, statistics, and related fields.
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College Physics For AP® Courses 2e
Gregg Wolfe; Erika Gasper; John Stoke; Julie Kretchman · OpenStax, Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses 2e is designed to engage students in their exploration of physics and help them apply these concepts to the Advanced Placement® test. Because physics is integral to modern technology and other sciences, the book also includes content that goes beyond the scope of the AP® course to further student understanding. The AP® Connection in each chapter directs students to the material they should focus on for the AP® exam, and what content — although interesting — is not necessarily part of the AP® curriculum. This book is Learning List-approved for AP® Physics courses and meets the scope and sequence for these courses. The first edition of College Physics for AP® Courses by OpenStax is available in web view here.
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Chemistry: Atoms First 2e
Jennifer Look; Paul Flowers; Allison Soult; Simon Bott · OpenStax, Rice University
Chemistry: Atoms First 2e is a peer-reviewed, openly licensed introductory textbook produced through a collaborative publishing partnership between OpenStax and the University of Connecticut and UConn Undergraduate Student Government Association. This text is an atoms-first adaptation of OpenStax Chemistry 2e. The intention of “atoms-first” involves a few basic principles: first, it introduces atomic and molecular structure much earlier than the traditional approach, and it threads these themes through subsequent chapters. This approach may be chosen as a way to delay the introduction of material such as stoichiometry that students traditionally find abstract and difficult, thereby allowing students time to acclimate their study skills to chemistry. Additionally, it gives students a basis for understanding the application of quantitative principles to the chemistry that underlies the entire course. It also aims to center the study of chemistry on the atomic foundation that many will expand upon in a later course covering organic chemistry, easing that transition when the time arrives. The second edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Substantial improvements have been made in the figures, illustrations, and example exercises that support the text narrative. The first edition of Chemistry: Atoms First by OpenStax is available in web view here.
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Biology 2e
Mary Ann Clark; Matthew Douglas; Jung Choi · OpenStax, Rice University
Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The text provides comprehensive coverage of foundational research and core biology concepts through an evolutionary lens. Biology includes rich features that engage students in scientific inquiry, highlight careers in the biological sciences, and offer everyday applications. The book also includes various types of practice and homework questions that help students understand—and apply—key concepts. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Art and illustrations have been substantially improved, and the textbook features additional assessments and related resources. The first edition of Biology by OpenStax is available in web view here.
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Astronomy 2e
Andrew Fraknoi; David Morrison; Sidney Wolff · OpenStax, Rice University
Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, Astronomy 2e is written in clear non-technical language, with the occasional touch of humor and a wide range of clarifying illustrations. It has many analogies drawn from everyday life to help non-science majors appreciate, on their own terms, what our modern exploration of the universe is revealing. The book can be used for either a one-semester or two-semester introductory course. The second edition has been updated according to new exploration and discoveries. The second edition also includes a significant amount of new art and images. The first edition of Astronomy by OpenStax is available in web view here.
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American Government 4e
Glen Krutz; Sylvie Waskiewicz, PhD; Prosper Bernard, Jr.; Jennifer Danley-Scott · OpenStax, Rice University
American Government 4e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. The authors have worked to develop meaningful and memorable explanations, narratives, and examples regarding the actions, workings, and outputs of government. The offering focuses on the real-world impact of government, and presents the importance and benefits of civic engagement by students. This book follows a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of political structures. American Government 4e is designed to continually build upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens. In order to help students understand the ways that government, society, and individuals interconnect, the revision includes updated information on the 2024 election results, recent court decisions and legal actions, and new opportunities for civic engagement. Changes made in American Government 4e are described in the preface to help instructors transition to the fourth edition. The third edition of American Government by OpenStax is available in web view here.
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Algebra 1
Lynn Marecek; MaryAnne Anthony-Smith; Andrea Honeycutt Mathis; Jay Abramson · OpenStax, Rice University
Algebra 1 is a complete high school algebra curriculum that is 100% aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS). OpenStax Algebra 1 is a high-quality instructional material (HQIM) that is flexible enough for core adoption and adaptable enough to support a wide range of teaching strategies and student needs. Algebra 1 is a research-backed curriculum designed to strengthen teaching and learning in all classrooms. The OpenStax Algebra 1 curriculum is structured across nine units that guide students from linear to exponential to quadratic functions, emphasizing how these patterns differ. Students explore mathematical relationships through tables, equations, graphs, and real-world contexts, beginning with patterns of repeated addition or subtraction (linear), moving into multiplication or division (exponential), and culminating in models that both increase and decrease (quadratic). Each unit includes a readiness pre-assessment, multiple content sections, section assessments, and ends with a project, quizzes, and a wrap-up. The curriculum is designed to support coherent instruction, continuous assessment, and student engagement throughout the school year. Through our free, digital teacher guide (available within the “instructor resources” section of the website), teachers receive clear learning targets, prerequisite skill guidance, videos, and a breakdown of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) addressed in every lesson. Algebra 1 was authored by OpenStax and is based, in part, on the OpenStax Pre Algebra, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra materials, and the IM 6-12TM by Illustrative Mathematics®. Based on OpenStax’s open (CC-BY-NC-SA) license, educators may remix and reuse the elements and content in Algebra 1 according to their approach and learning objectives. OpenStax textbooks are always available free online at openstax.org. If you have encountered a white s