Are e-readers suitable tools for scholarly work? Results from a user test.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer insights into the usability, acceptance and limitations of e-readers with regard to the specific requirements of scholarly text work. To fit into the academic workflow, non-linear reading, bookmarking, commenting, extracting text or the integration of non-textual elements must be supported. Design/methodology/approach – A group of social science students were questioned about their experiences with electronic publications for study purposes. This same group executed several text-related tasks with the digitized material presented to them in two different file formats on four different e-readers. Their performances were subsequently evaluated in detail. Findings – E-publications have made advances in the academic world; however e-readers do not yet fit seamlessly into the established chain of scholarly text-processing focusing on how readers use material during and after reading. The authors' tests revealed major deficiencies in these techniques. Originality/value – The usability test of e-readers in a scientific context aligns with both studies on the prevalence of e-books in the sciences and technical test reports of portable reading devices. Still, it takes a distinctive angle in focusing on the characteristics and procedures of textual work in the social sciences and measures the usability of e-readers and file-features against these standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]