LP@UF utilizes SCALAR and WordPress for other digital publishing projects.

Below is a quick breakdown of the color contrast ratios WCAG recommends, with AA being the minimum standard and AAA being the enhanced standard. WebAim’s Contrast Checker is a great tool for this! WCAG 2.2 also recommends not using color as the only method of emphasizing or noting the importance of information.²

* Large text is defined by WCAG as at least 18 point or 14 point bold or font size that would yield equivalent size for Chinese, Japanese and Korean (CJK) fonts.

** Incidental is defined by WCAG as text or images of text that are part of an inactive user interface component, that are pure decoration, that are not visible to anyone, or that are part of a picture that contains significant other visual content.

*** Logotype is defined by WCAG as text that is part of a logo or brand name.

Color Contrast Analyzer from the Paciello Group is a free program for Windows and Mac that includes an eyedropper tool that allows testing what you’re seeing on your screen instead of just relying on color codes. 

Avoid relying solely on color to convey meaning (use labels, patterns, or icons). 

Alternative text, more commonly known as alt text, is a description that conveys the meaning of an image or visual component. It is used to make visual content accessible to folks with visual disabilities or for folks with low bandwidth who cannot support image display. Alt text should be provided for all images, unless decorative or the text is present elsewhere on the page. Use descriptive language and avoid using “image of…” at the start of your description.

Decorative images are defined as images used for aesthetic purposes, provide no information, and/or have no function beyond aesthetics.

W3C’s tips and tricks for alt text and WCAG 2.2 guidance may be useful. PKP also provides guidance on how to write alt text.

Use appropriate heading levels in HTML when writing web content. Use descriptive titles and headings across your website. Heading levels should not be skipped in the ordering (e.g. <h1>, <h2>, <h3>) so that screen readers can correctly navigate through a page.

PKP also recommends creating journal documentation as static HTML pages rather than uploading PDFs for maximum accessibility.

This is pulled from PKP’s page structure guidance and headings structure guidance. For more specific guidance, please refer to WCAG 2.2’s guideline 2.4, navigable. WCAG 2.2 also provides an exhaustive list on HTML techniques.

Creating descriptive links/URLs allows screen reader users to determine the purpose of a link and skip it if they are not interested in it. Link text needs to be:

• Descriptive. URL text should be understood without additional context.
• Concise. Use keywords.
• Unique.
• Visually distinct. URLs are usually underlined and in color. If you choose not to use the default blue, be sure to select a color with sufficient contrast.

This is pulled from PKP’s guidance on accessible hyperlinks.

EPUB is becoming the standard e-book format for digital publishing. EPUB files provide an optimal reading experience on all devices, allowing users to adjust text size and layouts for personalization. They also support linked navigation, multimedia, and videos, and are up to 90% smaller than PDFs, leading to faster downloads and more efficient mobile data usage.³

EPUB Advantages:

• Reflowable Text: EPUB files adjust to screen sizes and font preferences, providing a more personalized reading experience. 
• Accessibility: EPUB is designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring better compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies. 
• Interactive Elements: EPUB supports rich media elements like images, audio, and video, allowing for more engaging reading experiences. 
• Lightweight: EPUB files are generally smaller in size than PDFs, making them easier to download and distribute. 
• The main advantage of EPUB over HTML (HyperText Markup Language – fundamental building block of the web) is that they can be downloaded, shared, and accessed offline on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and desktops. EPUB files maintain important elements such as page numbers, headings, and columns, often missing in HTML pages.
• Guidance for publishers looking to move from the use of the EPUB 3 epub:type attribute to ARIA roles for accessibility https://www.w3.org/TR/epub-aria-authoring-11/#bib-wai-aria.

PDFs are accessible when:⁴

• Information can be read by an assistive device, such as screen readers. This means they need to be appropriately tagged.
• There is a hierarchy of headings for clarity and understanding.
• Lists, tables, and paragraphs are appropriately tagged and marked.
• Important images have informative alt text and unimportant images/graphics have empty alt text.
• Correct tab order for keyboard-only users.
• Accurate metadata.

While PDFs are not considered fully accessible, there are ways to increase their accessibility.

1. Ensure that your source document (whether Word, Google Doc, PowerPoint, InDesign, etc.) is as accessible as possible prior to converting to PDF.
   • Creating an accessible InDesign file, Adobe.
     • This webpage describes the workflow for creating accessible PDFs from InDesign files. It was last updated May 24, 2023. The downloadable file can be accessed here.
   • Guidance on accessible documents, Harvard.
     • Harvard has developed guidelines for the following software: Microsoft Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint Slides, Google Slides, and Accessible PDFs.
     • Keep in mind that you should be checking document metadata, alt text, headings, and color across all document types. Many of these software include an accessibility checker, so be sure to use that as part of your workflow!
     • Harvard has also developed a quick conversion tool. Keep in mind that this will not be as effective as those done by a person, but it can be a good starting point for smaller capacity groups.
   • Converting Documents to PDF, WebAIM.
2. When converting your source document to PDF, use settings that retain tags and accessibility formatting. Avoid “Print to PDF.”
3. Once you have created a PDF, check for the following:⁵
   • Tags. Open the Tags panel (View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags) and make sure everything is appropriately tagged. The Autotag feature may be useful to start if you have none.
     • You will probably have heading tags (H1-H6), list tags (L, LI, LBody), paragraph tags (P), and link tags (Link).
   • Reading order. The order of the tags displayed in the Tags panel is called the Reading Order. Make sure the order of the tags matches the order of the content.
   • Alt text. Informative images should be tagged as <figure> and have useful alt text.
   • Color contrast.
   • File properties. Add and/or verify your PDF’s metadata, and be sure to double-check security settings.
4. For additional needs and guidance, please check WCAG 2.2’s PDF techniques. This is up-to-date as of December 2024.

For additional guidance on other galley types supported by OJS, please visit PKP’s guidance on creating accessible galley files.

• A11Y Project: Check your WCAG compliance. https://www.a11yproject.com/checklist/
• A11Y Project: Resources. https://www.a11yproject.com/resources/
• Accessibility Fundamentals Overview, W3C, 2023. https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/
• Accessibility Toolkit for Open Educational Resources (OER): PDFs, CUNY Library Services, 2024. https://guides.cuny.edu/accessibility/pdf*
• Advocates for Accessible Digital Library Resources, Library Accessibility Alliance. https://www.libraryaccessibility.org/
  • Resources, Library Accessibility Alliance. https://www.libraryaccessibility.org/resources
• Choosing an Accessible Font, Recite Me. https://downloads.reciteme.com/hubfs/accessible_fonts_guide.pdf
• Creating Accessible Content: A Guide for Journal Editors and Authors, Public Knowledge Project (PKP) Docs. https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/accessible-content/en/*
• Creating Accessible PDFs, Harvard. https://accessibility.huit.harvard.edu/pdf*
• Creating Accessible PDFs, LinkedIn Learning, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/learning/creating-accessible-pdfs-14445392/the-ultimate-guide-to-accessible-pdfs?u=41282748*
• DAISY Accessible Publishing Knowledge Base. http://kb.daisy.org/publishing/docs/
• DAISY Consortium’s free webinars on accessible publishing and reading. https://daisy.org/webinar-series/
• General Principles for Creating Accessible Content, PKP Docs. https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/accessible-content/en/principles
• HTML Techniques, WCAG 2.2. https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Techniques/#html
• Library Accessibility Alliance. https://www.libraryaccessibility.org/
• Library Accessibility Toolkit, 2020. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z0Pc6cLz1JjTUAysWkm16TKk-dQXDZ03NAOMGSMpoZQ/edit?usp=sharing
• PDF Accessibility, University of California San Francisco. https://it.ucsf.edu/how-to/pdf-accessibility*
• PDF Accessibility, WebAIM, 2023. https://webaim.org/techniques/acrobat/*
• PDF Techniques, WCAG 2.2. https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Techniques/#pdf*
• WCAG 2 Overview, W3C, 2024. https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, W3C, December 12, 2024. https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/
• Adobe InDesign Best Practices: Creating Accessible EPUB Files. https://www.accessiblepublishing.ca/working-with-indesign/#aria-roles

• PAVE: Free software that automatically corrects PDFs for accessibility (5MB max).
• WAVE (Web accessibility evaluation tool): A suite of evaluation tools designed for evaluating the accessibility of web content. Paste a web page address (URL) to evaluate its accessibility.
• WebAIM Contrast Checker: Used to check the contrast ratio of two colors for optimal readability. Great for designing journal branding materials, such as cover images, logos, etc.

* Most relevant to creating accessible PDFs for OJS