Four Cognella Titles Receive 2026 Textbook and Academic Authors Association (TAA) Awards
TAA recognizes Cognella textbooks for longevity, excellence, and impact in the academic market
San Diego, CA – April 28, 2026 – Four Cognella titles have been honored with 2026 Textbook and Academic Authors Association (TAA) Awards. For more than 20 years, the TAA has recognized works from emerging and experienced textbook and academic authors through its annual award program.
Forty-seven textbooks have been awarded 2026 Textbook Awards by the TAA, with twelve earning William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Awards, twenty-four earning Textbook Excellence Awards, and eleven earning Most Promising New Textbook Awards.
The William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award
Two Cognella titles received McGuffey Longevity Awards, which recognize works that have been in print for at least 15 years and continue to see significant sales. The award bears the name of William Holmes McGuffey, whose influential primers, which first appeared in 1836, helped bring the United States out of frontier literacy.
The award-winning Cognella titles are:
Crime Scene Investigation and Reconstruction (Fifth Edition)
By Sharon Plotkin and Robert R. Ogle
https://titles.cognella.com/crime-scene-investigation-and-reconstruction-9798823345217
“Sharing knowledge is very important, as is remaining true to the profession and to one another,” said Plotkin. “This textbook was written from the heart and is designed to provide a resource for crime scene investigators and students who share a passion for seeking the truth.”
Generalist Social Work Practice (Thirteenth Edition)
By Charles H. Zastrow and Sarah Hessenauer
https://titles.cognella.com/generalist-social-work-practice-9798823379489
“We are thrilled to receive this prestigious award for this text,” said Zastrow and Hessenauer. “Over the years, many students and faculty have told us that this text is superior in introducing readers to generalist social work practice. This award validates this perspective.”
Most Promising New Textbook
Two Cognella titles received Most Promising New Textbook Awards, which recognize excellence in current textbooks and learning materials.
The award-winning Cognella titles are:
Financial Social Work: Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Practice
By Reeta Wolfsohn and Matthew L. Schwartz
https://titles.cognella.com/financial-social-work-9798823341912
“The Financial Social Work specialty is a critical component of the social work profession, because financial healing is holistic healing—it is social work in action,” said Dr. Wolfsohn. “I was excited to be asked to write the textbook Financial Social Work: Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Practice, and I am hopeful it will be adopted by colleges and universities since research on poverty and inequity exists, but the tools and skills to address them do not. Having the book nominated for Most Promising New Textbook was a wonderful honor and surprise, for which I am most appreciative. My hope is that this textbook will engage and inspire students to take control of their money to gain control of their lives.”
“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award,” said Dr. Schwartz. “Writing this textbook in order to expand access to our branch of social work has been the privilege of a lifetime.”
Here’s what the judging panel had to say about the textbook:
“Innovative, accessible, and deeply grounded in social justice, this book elevates financial social work to its rightful place at the heart of practice.”
Interpersonal Communication: The Within and The Between
By Jody Koenig Kellas and Valerie Manusov
https://titles.cognella.com/interpersonal-communication-9798823351515
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award,” said Koenig Kellas and Manusov. “We wrote this book with the belief that a textbook can change students’ lives. Although a lofty goal, interpersonal communication is more important now than ever given the societal divides that affect and reflect communication in personal relationships, families, the workplace, educational settings, between neighbors, and more. The kinds of communication challenges and opportunities we are facing also require a new approach to teaching interpersonal communication—one that students can digest, care about, and apply. We hope this award helps others find our book and introduce students to the idea of wholeness (the within and the between) and the takeaways about interpersonal communication that can improve their communication and better their lives.”
Here’s what the judging panel had to say about the textbook:
“A well-thought out, innovative approach to the discipline, Interpersonal Communication: The Within and The Between offers a comprehensive framework for understanding interpersonal communication by emphasizing the dynamic interplay between individuals’ internal processes (the “within”) and their interactive engagements with others (the “between”). This text integrates theoretical perspectives with real-world applications to highlight how cognitive, emotional, cultural, and relational factors jointly shape communication outcomes and influence personal, professional, and social well-being.”
“Cognella titles have received TAA Textbook Awards consistently since 2019,” said Cognella Director of Marketing Natalie Piccotti. “These award-winning titles, including the incredible recipients for 2026, reflect our commitment to publishing high-quality scholarship from thought leaders across the disciplines. We’re honored to help passionate educators and professionals transform their expertise into high-impact learning materials.”
Read the TAA blog post to view the full list of 2025 TAA Textbook Awards recipients: https://blog.taaonline.net/2026/03/textbook-academic-authors-association-announces-2026-textbook-award-winners
For a full list of award-winning textbooks published by Cognella, visit: https://cognella.com/award-winning-titles/
About Cognella®
Cognella® is redefining academic publishing by creating teacher-driven, student-centric higher education course materials in print and digital formats under three imprints: Cognella® Academic Publishing, Cognella® Custom, and Cognella® Active Learning. Cognella also publishes engaging nonfiction titles featuring modern perspectives as Cognella® Press. Learn more at www.cognella.com.
About the Textbook & Academic Authors Association
The Textbook & Authors Association (TAA) provides a wide range of professional development resources, events, and networking opportunities for textbook authors and authors of scholarly journal articles and books. www.TAAonline.net
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Tiffany Mok
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