Scientific American, a source with reasonable scientific standards (although not above taking advantage of trendy topics), has a recent article on reading from the screen.
Even so, evidence from laboratory experiments, polls and consumer reportsindicates that modern screens and e-readers fail to adequately recreate certain tactile experiences of reading on paper that many people miss and, more importantly, prevent people from navigating long texts in an intuitive and satisfying way. In turn, such navigational difficulties may subtly inhibit reading comprehension. Compared with paper, screens may also drain more of our mental resources while we are reading and make it a little harder to remember what we read when we are done.
I wonder what we really know about reading from the screen at this point. You have to admit it is a relatively novel experience for all of us. One of the first questions I ask anyone who has something to say about this topic is how many books they have read from a device. How many books have you read on your phone, your ipad, your computer? I can say I have read several books on each of these devices. I have done so in order to say that I have read a book on my phone. Am I willing to argue that students should read books on their phones? Hardly! I find it tedious on such a small screen.
However, once we do serious work on a device I think we may have different opinions and research may demonstrate different outcomes. This requirement may occur as a result of necessity. So, I now read nearly all journal articles as pdfs from some device. Would I do this willingly? Probably not. But, it is likely we do not understand the role past habits may play in this reaction and in the exercise of actual skills. I find that as I read almost exclusively from the screen my strategies for serious reading have changed. The danger in the research is a confounding of past habits and the demands of a given format. If we scan from the screen and read paper differently, how much of the difference is a function of nature vs nurture?