Supported electronic text is a form of hypertext applied to instructional materials in ways designed to increase reading comprehension and to promote content-area learning.

The distinguishing characteristic of a supported eText is its resources. The resources chosen to support a specific source text depend on the characteristics of that text, the characteristics of the student(s) using the text, and the requirements of the specific reading or learning task that the student is undertaking. The list below describes a typology of 11 categories of supported eText resources. Additional information about the typology is in the chart following it.

• Presentational – Changes in the look and presentation of the source text;
• Navigational – Mechanisms for moving within and between documents;
• Translational – One-to-one equivalent in an alternative language or representation;
• Explanatory – Information to clarify and explain;
• Illustrative – Multimedia representations and examples;
• Summarizing – Summaries, overviews, or condensations;
• Enrichment – Supplementary information.
• Instructional – Prompts, questions, strategies or instruction;
• Notational – Tools for marking up the text or taking notes;
• Collaborative – Tools for working collaboratively with peers and teachers;
• Evaluative – Materials, prompts and assignments to assess learning.
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