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Do medical students at the UZH study more frequently with print or e-books? And what advantages and disadvantages do they experience with both formats? Some time ago we performed a survey at the main library, the results of which have now been published in the Journal of EAHIL [1].
In summary, medical students studied more often with print textbooks or read chapters in them, but they used both formats equally often to look up facts. The following advantages of print books were mentioned most frequently: possibility to mark text passages (in one’s own book!), being less strenuous for the eyes, general comfort. Advantages of the e-books were: the search function, no additional weight, and their time- and location-independent availability. Thus, both formats were important for medical students and were commonly used according to loans and download numbers.
1. Klein SD. Medical students prefer print textbooks for studying but value the e-books’ search function and availability. Journal of EAHIL 2020;16(1):12-15.