Frequently Asked Questions

• Students
• Instructors

• I’m a student. How do I buy the textbook?

  To purchase the textbook:

  Step 1: Register using the form on our home page
  Step 2: Go to the “Chapters” page from the main menu. Select “Read Now” for each chapter you’ve been assigned.
  Step 3: Select “Add To Cart” on the page of each chapter you’ve been assigned.
  Step 4: Select “View Cart” on the message that pops up, or select the shopping cart-shaped icon in the main menu. Review your purchase, select “Proceed to Checkout,” and enter your payment information.

  To access your purchased chapters:

  Step 1: Go to the “Chapters” page and select “Read Now” beside the purchased chapter you wish to access.
  Step 2: Select “Read Now” on the chapter’s page. You will be taken to a new window or tab with our e-reader, hosted by Bookshelf.

  I am receiving the following error when I try to log in: “Your account has to be confirmed by an administrator before you can log in”

  Student accounts should not require administrative approval. When our site is overwhelmed with new registrations, some student accounts are erroneously marked as needing approval. We have been working on correcting this error, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

  If you received this error, please email us at help@politicsexperiment@gmail.com with the email or username you used to register, and someone from our team can get your account approved and accessible as soon as possible.

  Why am I being taken to another website when I select ‘Read Now’?

  When you select ‘Read Now’ you will be redirected to a safe and secure website for accessing your purchase. Our new e-reader is provided by VitalSource Technologies, and all chapter text is now hosted through their site.

  Can I access the chapters using a mobile device?

  Yes! To access your materials on your mobile device:

  Step 1: Open any purchased chapter on a desktop.
  Step 2: Select the “More Options” icon (“…”) from the top-right corner of the Bookshelf reader.
  Step 3: Select “Download App” from the drop-down menu. This will take you to a page with a QR code you can scan using the camera on your smart device, which will automatically take you to the Bookshelf app’s page in the Apple or Google Play App Store.
  Step 4: Once downloaded, open the app to be automatically logged in using your APSE account. If you have trouble with this step, you can also scan the QR code a second time to log in.
  Step 5: Once you are in the app, selecting the chapter you wish to access will download the title to your device. You will be able to access it offline unless/until you remove it from your device.

  Note that the app will only display chapters that you have previously accessed. You may need to open a purchased chapter on your desktop first before it shows up in your library.

  Can I access the chapters offline?

  Yes! You can access purchased chapters offline using either a mobile device or using a desktop app. Please see the question above for instructions on how to access chapters on your mobile device.

  To access chapters offline using a desktop:

  Step 1: Open any purchased chapter.
  Step 2: Select the “More Options” icon (“…”) from the top-right corner of the Bookshelf reader.
  Step 3: Select “My Account” from the drop-down menu, then select “Quick Mobile Sign-In.”
  Step 4: At the bottom of this page, it says “You can also download apps for desktop!” Select whichever operation system you are using.
  Step 5: Select “Install” and you will be redirected to a page where you can download the application. Once downloaded, open the downloaded file to proceed with installing the app and executing it.
  Step 6: If you are prompted to log in, do not use your APSE credentials. Close out of the Bookshelf desktop app, and repeat steps 2-4. Your browser should prompt you to open the application, and will automatically log you in.
  Step 7: When you open your purchased chapters in the desktop app, you will be prompted to download them for offline use.

  Note that the app will only display chapters that you have previously accessed. You may need to open a purchased chapter in your browser first before it shows up in your library.

  Can I buy hardcopies?

  As of this time, we only provide our materials digitally. We do not provide hardcopies or versions which users can print.

• I’m an instructor. How do I view materials to decide whether to adopt them for my course?

  Please register as an instructor on our site’s landing page using an institutional email address. We verify each instructor on a daily basis, but you may have to wait 24-48 hours for our team to verify you. Once verified, you will have access to all the chapters on the “Chapters” page, as well as additional teaching resources.

  If you have not been given an institutional email address, your account has not been verified after 48 hours, or you would like to provide further information to help us verify you, please email us at help@politicsexperiment.com.

  Why are chapters sold individually? Why are they not numbered?

  We sell our chapters individually to minimize the financial burden placed on students, and to encourage instructors to only use the materials that make sense for their course. We designed A Political Science Experiment to be a modular resource that gives instructors plenty of freedom about how they wish to integrate our materials into their syllabus. We believe that if an instructor is only assigning half the chapters, that’s all students should be expected to purchase.

  Can I access the chapters using a mobile device?

  Yes! To access your materials on your mobile device:

  Step 1: Open any chapter on a desktop.
  Step 2: Select the “More Options” icon (“…”) from the top-right corner of the Bookshelf reader.
  Step 3: Select “Download App” from the drop-down menu. This will take you to a page with a QR code you can scan using the camera on your smart device, which will automatically take you to the Bookshelf app’s page in the Apple or Google Play App Store.
  Step 4: Once downloaded, open the app to be automatically logged in using your APSE account. If you have trouble with this step, you can also scan the QR code a second time to log in.

  Once you are in the app, selecting the chapter you wish to access will download the title to your device. You will be able to access it offline unless/until you remove it from your device.

  Note that the app will only display chapters that you have previously accessed. You may need to open a chapter on your desktop first before it shows up in your library.

  Step 1: Open any chapter on a desktop.
  Step 2: Select the “More Options” icon (“…”) from the top-right corner of the Bookshelf reader.
  Step 3: Select “Download App” from the drop-down menu. This will take you to a page with a QR code you can scan using the camera on your smart device, which will automatically take you to the Bookshelf app’s page in the Apple or Google Play App Store.
  Step 4: Once downloaded, open the app to be automatically logged in using your APSE account. If you have trouble with this step, you can also scan the QR code a second time to log in.

  Once you are in the app, selecting the chapter you wish to access will download the title to your device. You will be able to access it offline unless/until you remove it from your device.

  Note that the app will only display chapters that you have previously accessed. You may need to open a chapter on your desktop first before it shows up in your library.

  Can I access the chapters offline?

  Yes! You can access chapters offline using either a mobile device or using a desktop app. Please see the question above for instructions on how to access chapters on your mobile device.

  To access chapters offline using a desktop:

  Step 1: Open any chapter.
  Step 2: Select the “More Options” icon (“…”) from the top-right corner of the Bookshelf reader.
  Step 3: Select “My Account” from the drop-down menu, then select “Quick Mobile Sign-In.”
  Step 4: At the bottom of this page, it says “You can also download apps for desktop!” Select whichever operation system you are using.
  Step 5: Select “Install” and you will be redirected to a page where you can download the application. Once downloaded, open the downloaded file to proceed with installing the app and executing it.
  Step 6: If you are prompted to log in, do not use your APSE credentials. Close out of the Bookshelf desktop app, and repeat steps 2-4. Your browser should prompt you to open the application, and will automatically log you in.

  When you open your chapters in the desktop app, you will be prompted to download them for offline use.

  Note that the app will only display chapters that you have previously accessed. You may need to open a chapter in your browser first before it shows up in your library.

  How do I order multiple access codes for my class/bookstore/department?

  Our website is designed for sales directly to students. Unfortunately, we cannot process bulk orders at this time, but we plan to do so by the end of summer 2023. All bulk orders, including invoicing and payment, will be handled directly through VitalSource’s Bulk Store.

  If you are an instructor working with incarcerated students or teaching in a refugee camp, we want to make our materials available to you at minimal cost. Please contact us at politicsexperiment@gmail.com.

  Can I buy hardcopies?

  In order to keep our materials affordable to students, we only provide our materials digitally. We do not provide hardcopies or versions which users can print.

If you have any other questions or need assistance, please email us at help@politicsexperiment.com