Compare the citations in the textbooks. If a student has a question about a claim made in the book, she should easily be able to find the original source. Facts and studies that do not have citations are a red flag that a book may not be providing scientifically accurate information.
Look at drawings and graphs. Do they make material easier to understand or are they simply there as filler? A quality textbook will contain no unnecessary information. The illustrations provided should make information simpler and should never be confusing to students.
Read the first chapter of each textbook. Which one is more interesting? Students learn best when learning is fun and when the information is made relevant to their lives. Choose the textbook that is most likely to interest a student.
Examine extra study materials. A good textbook will provide lots of opportunities for students to retain the information. This includes chapter review summaries, questions for students to answer, suggested real-life applications of information and online study tools. When textbooks offer a variety of study tools, students are more likely to understand and remember information.