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Oxford Academic

Summary

This report reflects the findings of a high-level assessment of the Oxford Academic platform for its conformance with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 (WCAG 2.1).

There are very few WCAG 2.1 compliance issues with Oxford Academic, and they are very minor overall with the most pressing issue being around color contrast with links. Below are the most critical issues to address to improve system compliance.

Top 3 Issues:

  1. Link Contrast: The foremost problem with accessibility is the issues with link contrast, particularly on the individual results page. The links do not meet the 3:1 contrast ratio with surrounding text nor do they have any text decoration to call attention to the link. This is easily addressed by either increasing the contrast with surrounding text or adding an underline to the link. Ideally, both solutions should be put into place.
  2. Compatibility: There is an issue with compatibility, particularly in the use of unique ids. To correct, ensure that ids across each page are unique. Additionally, elements are not contained by the proper parent.
  3. ARIA Implementation: This is a serious issue that can be easily fixed by ensuring that all ARIA elements are correctly used. For reference, please consult the WAI-ARIA Authoring Best Practices.