Why paper books still win when reading for academic or research purposes

After years of reading Kindle books, I joined my local library and rediscovered the tactile experience of reading paper books.

What can I say! It’s a whole new (old) experience holding a physical book in my hands, flipping through sheets of paper, and being able to jump from section to section, or from the middle of the book to the beginning or end within seconds.

For me, the best thing about reading physical books is the ability to almost simultaneously compare information on pages that are far apart within the book; seeing my underlines, highlights, and notes from a bird’s-eye perspective. It is as if everything was at my fingertips all at once. Quite literally.

I believe that this is also the most critical part of reading books for educational, academic, or research purposes. I don’t think electronic books, despite all their other advantages, will ever replace this critical feature of reading paper books. At least not for me.

About the author

Martin Tutko is a product designer by trade and a part-time philosopher by hobby. Thinking, researching and doing design since 1998. And as of 2023 also sharing and writing about some of my experiences as a product designer 🧑🏻‍💻🌟