How to find OpenStax-licensed textbooks

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Ngày cập nhật gần nhất: 15/3/2026

Content

Steps

Introducing OpenStax

Select a textbook to use

Use the online version or download the textbook for offline access.

It’s probably hard to find a better place on the internet where you can easily access open-licensed textbooks, peer-reviewed, 100% free to download and use electronically, all hosted on an entirely open-source platform like OpenStax.

Steps

Introducing OpenStax

Go to the OpenStax homepage. Visit https://openstax.org/ to access OpenStax’s official site.

The main menu on OpenStax’s homepage.

Subjects - Various academic fields. This is where you can browse textbooks by subject, select one, and download it for free use.

Higher Education - Here you can follow three simple steps to access textbooks and supplemental materials for instructors on OpenStax as a registered member. These steps are:

Review a Textbook - Browse through OpenStax’s freely available textbooks online. You can read through a book or a chapter and assess its quality for yourself.
Create a Faculty Account - Sign up for an account on OpenStax. OpenStax offers additional free resources specifically for instructors, such as test banks and solution manuals to help you plan your course.
Adopt a Textbook - Use a textbook. Access to OpenStax textbooks is completely free. OpenStax wants to know if you’ve used them and encourages you to share the OpenStax URL with your students! You can also recommend a book as an optional resource.

AP® (Advanced Placement) - This section provides textbooks for Advanced Placement courses.

Our Impact

A list of thousands of universities and colleges using OpenStax textbooks

OpenStax partners. These are educational technology companies that use OpenStax textbooks to create additional products and services, such as adaptive customizable courses or online homework. In return, these partners provide OpenStax with mission-support fees, which help OpenStax build and maintain its library. OpenStax’s partners give educators and students the best of both worlds – open-licensed, peer-reviewed, free textbooks, and optional, low-cost technology.

OpenStax funding sources.

The bottom section of OpenStax’s homepage.Access. The Future of EducationLicensingLicensing

Question: Why should I license my work under the Creative Commons Attribution license, rather than publishing it with full copyright protection?
Answer: There are several reasons. You might appreciate the idea of others building upon your work, or the concept of contributing to shared intellectual resources. As the community grows, you and other authors will find satisfaction in having helped develop new collaborative methods. Another reason is that you may want your writing to be copied and shared so your ideas can spread worldwide. A young author may wish to encourage the circulation of their works to help build credibility in an unconstrained way. An established author might release samples of their work to generate interest in other pieces outside of our collection. A Creative Commons license can help you implement such strategies while still maintaining ultimate control over the copyright.

Open Source CodeOpen Source CodeSpecial licenses.

The licenses for the textbooks available on OpenStax are outlined below the menu bar. These licenses pertain to the educational content provided by OpenStax: unless otherwise stated, all textbooks on this site are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This is the most permissive of the six standard Creative Commons licenses. Under this license, you are free to use the textbooks for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as proper attribution is given to the authors, and any references to the textbook include a link back to this license.

Select a textbook to use

Choose textbooks by subject. On OpenStax, you can select textbooks by various subjects by clicking on the Subjects option in the toolbar. For each subject area, you can choose a textbook by clicking on its icon. Subject options include:

View All - A list of all subjects. You'll see textbook icons arranged in rows and columns, regardless of the subject. As of mid-December 2016, there are 32 textbooks available across all subjects listed on OpenStax. Specifically:
Math - Mathematics. Here, you’ll find icons for 8 math textbooks.
Science - Natural Science. This section includes 12 textbooks focused on natural science.
Social Sciences - Social Sciences. There are 8 textbooks available for social sciences.
Humanities - Humanities. This category has 1 textbook.
AP® - Advanced Placement. You’ll find textbooks for advanced placement courses, including 3 textbooks.

The textbook you’ve selected. Once you select a textbook, a new screen will appear with detailed information about it, including:

Table of Contents - A link to the textbook’s table of contents. Clicking on this will provide an outline of the chapters and sections.
Instructor Resources - Resources for instructors. Clicking on this will take you to information and materials meant for instructors. You must have an instructor account on OpenStax to access these resources.
Student Resources - Resources for students. This section provides additional materials tailored to students, including different study options related to the chosen textbook.
Details - Detailed information about the textbook, such as the authors, licensing, publication date, ISBN (International Standard Book Number), and other related data.
Errata - A list of errors. Clicking on this will show you a list of known errors, and provide an option for users to suggest corrections. As the textbooks are digital, they are updated regularly to reflect any changes or corrections.
About Our Textbooks – More about OpenStax textbooks. You will also find additional information in this section, including:
- Expert Authors - The textbooks are authored by professionals in their respective fields. These are experts who ensure the accuracy and quality of the content.
- Standard Scope and Sequence - All textbooks follow a structured scope and sequence, making them easy to integrate into existing courses and curriculums.
- Peer Reviewed - OpenStax textbooks undergo a rigorous peer review process, ensuring that they meet high academic standards. You can view a list of contributors by clicking on individual textbooks.

Use the online version or download the textbook for offline access.

View Online - View the selected textbook online. Click here to open and read the chosen textbook directly on your device.

Download as PDF - Get the textbook in PDF format.HIGH RESOLUTION

LOW RESOLUTION - LOW RESOLUTION. Click here to download the selected textbook with lower quality images, resulting in a smaller file size and faster download. As with the high-res version, the screen will be ready for you to save the file to your computer.

Order a print copy - Place an order for a printed version of the book. You have a few options for ordering the printed textbook:

Through bookstore orders (Bookstore Orders) via NACSCORP. Click on the Bookstore Orders button to place your order. On the next page, you will find the contact details for NACSCORP agents who can assist you in ordering and receiving the textbook you need.
Via individual orders (Individual Orders) through the "OpenStax" retailer on Amazon for $58.00 USD. Click on the Individual Orders button to place your order.

Adopt this book - Use this textbook. Click here to access the form OpenStax wants you to complete, providing some user information to help with statistics for those using this textbook.

Recommendation

There are many websites online that provide open-licensed materials, which you can freely use as long as you adhere to the terms and conditions specified in the license for each individual material.