If something appears incorrect, missing, blurry, out of order, or otherwise isn’t working as expected within your eTextbook, we’re happy to help.
Some issues can be resolved by troubleshooting Bookshelf, while others may be related to the eTextbook content provided by the publisher. Follow the steps below to help determine what may be happening.
What types of content issues can I report?
Issues may include:
- Incorrect or misspelled text
- Missing pages, sections, or chapters
- Pages or content appearing out of order
- Blurry text or images
- Missing images, diagrams, or other content
- Highlighting not working as expected
- Formatting or display problems
- Missing page numbers
- Other errors within the eTextbook
First, try these troubleshooting steps
Before contacting VitalSource Support, please try the following:
- Open Bookshelf in a different web browser
- Clear your browser’s cache and cookies, then sign back in
- If you’re using the desktop or mobile Bookshelf app, remove the downloaded book and download it again
- Try accessing the book from another device, if available
These steps help determine whether the issue is with the eTextbook itself or how the content is currently displaying on your browser, app, or device.
If the issue is resolved after troubleshooting, no further action is needed.
If the problem continues, gather the information below before contacting Support.
What information will Support need?
Whether you’re a student or instructor, please provide as much detail as possible so our team can investigate.
Please have the following ready:
- Book title
- ISBN
- Specific location of the issue — such as the chapter, section, page, or other identifiable location
- Description of the problem and what you expected to see
- Device and browser or Bookshelf app you’re using
- Troubleshooting steps you’ve already completed
- Screenshot or short screen recording of the issue, whenever possible
Screenshots and screen recordings are especially helpful for issues involving blurry content, formatting, highlighting, missing content, or content appearing incorrectly.
The more specific the information you provide, the easier it will be for our team to determine the appropriate next step.
What if my eTextbook doesn’t have page numbers?
Some eTextbook formats provided by publishers do not include page labels. When page labels are not included in the content supplied by the publisher, page numbers will not appear within the eTextbook.
This does not necessarily indicate that something is wrong with the book.
If you need to cite material from an eTextbook without page numbers, we recommend checking with your instructor for their preferred citation method.
What happens if troubleshooting doesn’t resolve the issue?
VitalSource distributes digital content provided by our publishing partners. If our Support team determines that the issue is with the eTextbook content itself rather than Bookshelf, VitalSource cannot directly edit or correct the content.
When appropriate, Support can document the issue and escalate it to the internal VitalSource team that works directly with our publishing partners.
That team can then provide the reported issue to the publisher for review.
Once the issue has been documented and escalated, your Support request may be closed while the content report is handled separately with the publisher. This does not mean your report has been disregarded. It means no additional action is currently required from you.
Will the publisher correct the eTextbook?
Any decision to change or update an eTextbook is made by the publisher. VitalSource cannot guarantee that a reported issue will result in an updated version of the content.
Publishers may choose not to modify an existing edition, particularly when changes are planned for a future or revised edition.
If the publisher provides VitalSource with an updated version of your eTextbook, Bookshelf will notify you when the updated content is available so you can access the latest version.
Ready to report an issue?
If you’ve completed the troubleshooting steps above and the issue continues, contact VitalSource Support.
Before connecting with an agent, please make sure you have:
- Your book title and ISBN
- The exact location of the problem within the book
- A description of what’s happening
- The device, browser, or Bookshelf app you’re using
- The troubleshooting steps you’ve already tried
- A screenshot or short screen recording, whenever possible
Having this information ready will help our Support team determine whether additional Bookshelf troubleshooting is needed or whether the issue should be escalated for review with the publisher.
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