Tablet computers for the dissemination of digital scholarly editions

The academic community has often identified the exciting possibilities offered by the advent of touchscreen handheld devices for the dissemination of digital scholarly editions, and yet there remains little advancement into this area by scholarly editors. If tablets can be utilised successfully as a platform for editions it is crucial to first identify the preferences and habits of the user base. The aim of this paper will be primarily to convey the findings of a comprehensive user study and other related research so as to provide a body of data that could aid the scholarly community in designing effective tablet interfaces and to posit some suggestions on their role in the dissemination of scholarly editions.