Student Functionality

The Norton Ebook Reader provides an active reading experience, enabling students to take notes, search, highlight, and read offline.  This page provides details on how to access and manage these tools.

How do I navigate my Ebook?

This section provides details on how users can navigate and search through the new ebook reader.

Ebook reader interface showing chapter title Particles of Matter and navigation controls.

  1. When logged in you see the Book Title displayed at the top of the page. 
  2. The Chapter and Section you are working in are visible below the Book Title. 
  3. You can open the Account Menu by selecting your username. More information about the features available from this menu are discussed here
  4. Indicates what Page you are currently viewing. 
  5. Select the three horizontal lines to make the Table of Contents appear. More information about this feature can be found here.

How do I navigate between sections?

To view the previous section of the ebook scroll to the top of the page you are currently viewing. Select the box showing the previous section name.  

Ebook page showing section 1.1 How and Why with previous chapter navigation link.

To view the next section of the ebook scroll to the bottom of the page you are currently viewing. Select the box indicating the next section. 

Expandable section link titled 1.1 How and Why at the end of a Matter and Energy preview.

More information about navigating the ebook can be found in the Table of Contents section. 

Additionally, you can view your current location by selecting the three dots found underneath the book title. Ebook page showing section 12.3 Alloys and Medicine with current location navigation panel expanded.

How do I search the ebook content?

To search the text, select the magnifying glass from the left-hand side of the screen.

Ebook chapter page showing chapter 3 Stoichiometry with chapter navigation and sidebar menu.

Enter a term in the search field. 

Search panel open in ebook reader showing search field with the term Alloys entered.

See the full book search results displayed below.

Search results panel in ebook reader showing matches for Alloys across chapters and sections.

Clicking on the search results will take you to that specific page in the ebook. Additionally, the keyword you entered will appear highlighted in the text, and you will see a note at the top of the page indicating how many times that word is used within the section.

Search results open in ebook reader highlighting the term alloys within a particulate review section.

Please Note: These search results are for the entire book. Anytime the keyword you entered is displayed in the text, it will show up here. If you would like to view the help notes on searching the Table of Contents, please click here.

How do I search by page number?

You can search by a specific page number by inserting a number into the page field on the right-hand of the screen. This box will display the current page number you are viewing.

Ebook page showing section 2.9 Nucleosynthesis The Origin of the Elements with page navigation control.

After inserting a number in the page and select return on your keyboard, the ebook will take you to that page.

How do I highlight text?

Personal Highlights

To highlight text, use the cursor to select the text you would like to highlight and the Context Menu will appear. Select the color in which you would like the text highlighted: yellow, pink, blue, or green.

Learning objectives list with highlight tool menu showing colour options and copy function.

Removing Highlights

To remove a highlight, use the cursor to select the text from which you would like to remove the highlighting and the Context Menu will appear. 

Click Delete Highlight 

Learning outcomes list with highlight context menu showing options including delete highlight and view in notebook.


Select Delete and the highlighting will be removed from the selected text.

Confirmation dialog asking to delete a highlight with Cancel and Delete buttons.


How do I create annotations?

Personal Annotations

To create an annotation that will only appear in your ebook, use the cursor to select the text you would like to annotate and the Context Menu will appear.

Click Create Note

Highlighted text in ebook with context menu showing create note, highlight colours, and copy options.

Type your annotation into the text field and click the Save button save your annotation. 

Create note panel open in ebook reader with highlighted text and Save button.

Click on the Notebook page icon to view notes in the Notebook

Notebook panel showing saved highlight and note titled important definition.


How to Edit Annotations

Click the notebook page icon.  The Context Menu will appear.  Select Edit Note

Highlighted sentence in ebook with context menu showing Edit Note option.

After editing the note, select Save.

Edit note panel open in ebook reader showing updated note text and Save button.

How to Delete Annotations 

1. Select the notebook page icon on the annotation that you want to delete 

2. Click Delete Highlight & Note

Highlighted sentence in ebook with context menu showing Edit Highlight and Note option.

Click the Delete button to confirm

Confirmation dialog asking to delete a highlight and note with Cancel and Delete buttons.


To view a complete list of the highlights and annotations in your ebook, select the Notebook icon on the left of the page

Notebook panel open in ebook reader showing list of saved highlights and notes.



Notebook panel showing saved highlight with options to edit or delete the note.

  1. This is the total number of notes and highlights
  2. To Edit or Delete content select the 3 dots icon above the annotation or highlight 
  3. Annotations that you have created can be found under the highlights
  4. Click on the section title to go directly to the page where an annotation or highlight is located.

Notebook panel showing saved highlights with Edit and Delete options for a selected note.


How to view content that my Instructor shared

From the Ebook, click the Instructor Content icon (mortarboard hat) from the Context menu on the left side of screen.

Instructor Content icon in the ebook sidebar showing tooltip labeled Instructor Content.

Please Note: If the Instructor did not create content to share with students, the Instructor Content icon will not appear in your ebook.

Can I read my ebook offline?

The newest version of the Norton Ebook Reader supports offline reading so that you can continue to access your textbooks where normal online connectivity through WiFi or cellular service may not be available. Highlights and annotations can also be accessed offline. To select sections of the ebook for offline reading, please click here.

Does the ebook support audio narration?

Norton Ebooks and the Norton Ebook Reader fully support text-to-speech functionality, allowing you to listen to your ebook being read aloud. Select the link below that corresponds to your device for detailed instructions on setting up text-to-speech. 


Chrome: Read Aloud: A Text-to-Speech Voice Reader
Install and use the “Read Aloud” tool on Google Chrome for text-to-speech compatibility.

Install and use the “Read Aloud” tool on Mozilla Firefox for text-to-speech compatibility.

Apple iOS: VoiceOver
Enable VoiceOver for seamless audio narration on your iOS device.

Google Android: Google Text-to-Speech
Access Google’s text-to-speech solution on your Android device for audio narration.

How do I print a specific section of the ebook? 

To print a specific section, select print icon at the top.

Ebook chapter page showing chapter 5 The American Revolution 1763 to 1783 with page navigation control.

Select ‘print’ from the confirmation box.

Print confirmation dialog asking whether to print the section with Cancel and Print buttons.

Can I print the entire ebook?

The number of sections you are allowed to print varies by title. 

When you select print on a section, you will see a popup window with a progress bar which indicates how many sections you have already printed and how many you have left to print. 

Print dialog showing section print limit and Print button.

When you are close to the limit, you will see a copyright restriction message.

Print dialog showing copyright restriction warning and section printing limit.

When you have reached the limit, you will see a message notifying you the limit has been reached.

Print dialog showing copyright restriction message indicating the section cannot be printed.

Please Note: The print quota is based on copyright restrictions which are set by title. Print quotas cannot be reset on user accounts. Once you have printed the maximum amount allowed, you will not be able to print another section. Please keep this in mind when selecting sections to print.

Why can’t I print certain sections?

Some sections or parts of a section cannot be printed due to copyright restrictions. After selecting print this section, the popup you see will indicate if the section in available. 

If the section you want to print is unavailable due to a copyright restriction, you will see the following message.

Unable to Print dialog showing copyright restriction message and Dismiss button.

You may also see a message that indicates only part of the section is available for printing.

Print dialog showing copyright restriction notice that portions of the section will be omitted.

How do I copy text from the ebook?

You can copy text by highlighting a portion of the text and using your keyboard shortcuts (command+c for mac, control+c for windows). 

Once you have selected the area of the text you want to copy, you will see the following pop-up which indicates how many words you have copied, and how many you are allowed to copy from the ebook. 

Copy dialog showing word selection count and Copy button.

Can I copy the entire ebook?

The amount of content you can copy varies by title. 

When you select a section of the text to copy, you will see a popup window with a progress bar indicating how many words you have already copied and how many you have left.  

Copy dialog showing selected word count and remaining words allowed to copy.

When you are approaching the limit, you will see a copyright restriction message.

Copy dialog showing copyright restriction warning and remaining words allowed to copy.

If you have exceeded the copying limit, you will see the following message.

Copy dialog showing copyright restriction message that the maximum copying limit has been reached.

When you have reached the limit, you will see a message notifying you the limit has been reached.

Copy dialog showing copyright restriction stating the section copy limit has been reached.

Please Note: The copy quota is based on copyright restrictions which are set by title. Copy quotas cannot be reset on user accounts. Once you have copied the maximum amount allowed, you will not be able to copy another section. Please keep this in mind when selecting sections to copy.  

Why can’t I copy certain parts of the ebook?

Certain parts of the ebook cannot be copied due to copyright restrictions. After selecting an area to copy, the popup you see will indicate if the section in available. 

If you are unable to copy the section, you will see the following message. 

Unable to Copy dialog showing copyright restriction message and Dismiss button.

How do I purchase a discounted print version of my textbook?

Please Note - This offer is not available for every ebook.

If you purchased access to an ebook online, some titles will give you the option to purchase a paperback copy of your textbook at a discounted price. The confirmation email you received after purchasing access to your ebook should have told you if you were eligible for this discount. If you are eligible, please follow these steps to purchase the discounted paperback copy of your textbook.

On the Digital Resources page for your textbook, click on the ebook tile.

Digital resources page showing ebook and learning tool options including InQuizitive.

Next, open a chapter of your ebook.

Norton Illumine Ebook page listing chapters of The Real World sociology textbook.

Once in the ebook, click on the gear menu in the upper right corner of the page and select Purchase a Print Textbook from the menu.

Ebook chapter page with account menu open showing options including return to digital resources and sign out.

In the next window that appears, click on the Show purchase options button.

Dialog prompting the user to show purchase options for the ebook.

Finally, complete the purchasing process to purchase a paperback copy of your textbook at a discounted rate. 

Purchase options dialog showing price and Add to Cart button for the ebook.

How to Create Bookmarks

A built-in bookmarking feature is not currently available in the latest eBook version. We recommend using your browser’s bookmarking option or the annotation and notebook tools to mark your place in the text.

To save your reading spot with a note:

  1. Highlight any text where you stopped reading.
  2. In the box that appears, select Create Note.
  3. Type something like “Stopped here.”
  4. When you’re ready to continue, open the Notebook from the left-hand menu and select your note to return to that location.

Submit a Support Request

Still need help? Submit a support ticket and a customer support specialist will be happy to assist you.
Opened a request already? Click here for an update.