While browsing the book store to purchase a book, you may be faced with the tough decision on whether to get the electronic book or the old-fashioned book. Each one has its pros and its cons, and deciding on the best can depend on a number of factors.
According to Diane Mizrachi who wrote the article “Undergraduates’ Academic Reading Format Preferences and Behaviors,” and the study that was conducted where students from UCLA were asked various questions regarding if they prefer to read an eBook or print when it came to do reading for school.
It all depends on how important the readings for their class would be, and from there the students would decide what method of book they were going to purchase.
For example, in the article “Undergraduates’ Academic Reading Format Preferences and Behaviors,” one of the questions that was asked in the study was where students preferred to read their eBook for school and 90% of the respondents said that they prefer reading their electronic course readings on a laptop.
California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), students may face the tough decision when it comes to purchasing books for pleasure and textbooks for school and deciding between purchasing an eBook or a physical book.
A portable device can store all your eBooks and can be very convenient because the device can store a whole library and it can be taken anywhere, even when traveling.
Not only can an eBook be read on a tablet, but it can also be accessed through a smartphone, computer and/or laptop.
Each student has different learning and reading style, and may decide to use the one that they feel is more convenient and best for them.
A student may decide to use an eBook because of many factors, such as the cost, the weight of the book and the convenience that an eBook has to offer.
Kathleen Ochoa (junior, Communication Studies) agrees about the convenience that eBooks and/or Amazon Kindles have to offer.
“I personally like to use the Kindle. Mostly because it’s more convenient for me and much easier to walk around with, instead of a stack of heavy books,” Ochoa said.
If a student feels that the class is not so important for their major, then they also prefer to use an eBook for the course.
Having access to a book through an electronic device can also have its negative side and it can be either a distraction because there are students that may be reading but are tentative to go to other sites on the computer instead of reading or they may forget where they read something.
Maryann Hight, a librarian at Stan State, says that a negative aspect about reading a book electronically is that a student may forget where they read something.
“The most negative aspect I see about finding any material digitally is that students find something, then they don ‘t remember where they read it, and they can’t replicate their search. If you have a print book, it is much easier to thumb through it and find that import chapter,” Hight stressed.  
There are students who prefer to have a physical book to read either for pleasure or for class readings.
Feeling the texture of the book when reading your favorite one is something that people enjoy when it comes to reading a book.
“If I’m reading for pleasure, then I like to get a real book. Especially if it’s one that I enjoy. There’s just something about a physical book that the Kindle can’t replace,” Ochoa stated.
Students also prefer a print book, when it is needed for a class in their major, and there are students in various majors that always prefer to use books for their studies.
“If the textbook is in their major, students often seem to want to buy the print book,” Hight added.
Having the flexibility of annotating and highlighting a textbook is why many students still prefer to use a print textbook for their classes because it allows them to do that, but also, when looking for information not just in one book it’s easier to look for the information on the physical print book than on a different eBook’s at once.
According to one of the questions that was conducted in the study for the article “Undergraduates’ Academic Reading Format Preferences and Behavior,” was if students usually highlight and annotate their print readings, and about 80% of the students strongly agreed.
If a student realizes that they have to read a lot of pages for a class, and it’s an important class for them, they prefer a print book because they are able to retain a lot more information than if they were to read the eBook.
“I prefer to have my print book when it comes to reading for a class because I feel it’s easier for me to comprehend the information better, and I need to highlight or annotate it’s easier to do it on a print book than in an eBook,” Jessica Acosta (sophomore, Business) said.