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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
64
GRADE
D
FIX
6
REVIEW
1
PASS
6
INFO
0
Checks
13
6 PASS 1 REVIEW 6 FIX
F
404 Error Page
Action
Soft 404 detected
FIX
Soft 404 detected
Critical::
Soft 404: server returns HTTP 200 for non-existent pages
The server returns HTTP 200 for a path that does not exist. Search engines will index these pages, diluting your real content. Configure your server to return a proper 404 status code for missing pages.
Got: Status: 200 for /beavercheck-404-test-a2siqi
404 Page Quality ✗ Soft 404 (HTTP 200)
Status Code: HTTP 200

The server returned HTTP 200 for a non-existent path. Search engines will index this page as real content. Configure your server to return HTTP 404 for missing pages.

F
Favicon & Branding
Action
2 icon(s) detected
FIX
2 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
No apple-touch-icon detected
iOS devices use this when users add your site to their home screen. Add <link rel='apple-touch-icon' sizes='180x180' href='/apple-touch-icon.png'>.
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✗ Apple Touch Missing
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✗ Manifest Icons Missing
✗ Multiple Sizes Missing
F
Web Manifest
Action
Invalid JSON
FIX
Invalid JSON
Warning::
Manifest contains invalid JSON
Manifest at https://plosone.org/manifest.json contains invalid JSON. Browsers cannot parse it.
Got: https://plosone.org/manifest.json

Manifest contains invalid JSON.

D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected
color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

F
Navigation UX
Action
1 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
1 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
1 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 1 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
3 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Strong navigation UX with multiple discovery paths.
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 13 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

7 pass 13 fail WCAG AA 2 pass AA only
title PLOS One
1.64:1
#000000
on
#323232
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
a Skip to main content
1.64:1
#000000
on
#323232
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
div Advertisement
1.64:1
#000000
on
#323232
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
a plos.org
2.29:1
#000000
on
#801A6D
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
a Create account
4.04:1
#000000
on
#8A5F82
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
span About
1.64:1
#000000
on
#323232
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
button Browse
1.36:1
#000000
on
#25232E
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
span Search
1.36:1
#000000
on
#252330
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a advanced search
1.37:1
#000000
on
#262331
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Browse Topics
1.37:1
#000000
on
#262331
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
div Browse Subject Areas
1.37:1
#000000
on
#262331
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
p Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find …
1.37:1
#000000
on
#272331
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · mid-page
p For more information about PLOS Subject …
1.37:1
#000000
on
#262331
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · mid-page

1 contrast failures on background images/gradients

These failures are invisible to CSS-based accessibility tools like Lighthouse. The text may be fine on a solid background, but fails when rendered over an image or gradient.

Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 Get new content from…7.37:13.0:1
#000000
#999999
Pass
h3 Publish with PLOS7.37:13.0:1
#000000
#999999
Pass
h3 Connect with Us7.37:13.0:1
#000000
#999999
Pass
h3 Cookie Preference Ce…7.37:13.0:1
#000000
#999999
Pass
h3 Customize Your Cooki…7.37:13.0:1
#000000
#999999
Pass
title PLOS One1.64:14.5:1
#000000
#323232
Fail
a Skip to main content1.64:14.5:1
#000000
#323232
Fail
div Advertisement1.64:14.5:1
#000000
#323232
Fail
a plos.org2.29:14.5:1
#000000
#801A6D
Fail
a Create account4.04:14.5:1
#000000
#8A5F82
Fail
a Sign in6.66:14.5:1
#000000
#919191
Pass
span Publish6.66:14.5:1
#000000
#919191
Pass
span About1.64:14.5:1
#000000
#323232
Fail
button Browse1.36:14.5:1
#000000
#25232E
Fail
span Search1.36:14.5:1
#000000
#252330
Fail
a advanced search1.37:14.5:1
#000000
#262331
Fail
a Browse Topics1.37:14.5:1
#000000
#262331
Fail
div Browse Subject Areas1.37:14.5:1
#000000
#262331
Fail
p Click through the PL…1.37:14.5:1
#000000
#272331
Fail
p For more information…1.37:14.5:1
#000000
#262331
Fail

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

A+
Landmark Structure
4 landmarks
PASS
4 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
1 <nav> landmark(s) found
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV MAIN CONTENTINFO footer
A+
Heading Hierarchy
21 headings
PASS
21 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
  • H1 We believe in a better future where science is open to all, for all.
  • H2 Utilizing large language models to construct a dataset of Württemberg’s 19th-century fauna from historical records
  • H2 The effect of game-based education on adherence to treatment and anxiety level in type 2 diabetics started on insulin therapy
  • H2 Habitat use of Bechstein´s bats (Myotis bechsteinii) in wind parks in forests
  • H2 On the ability of proglacial lake diatoms to reconstruct Antarctic past ozone changes
  • H2 Editorial Spotlight: Manuel Herrador-Muñoz
  • H2 Rare Disease Day 2026: Diverse community, common challenges
  • H2 Experiences of Women in Science in 2026
  • H2 Aeroponic cultivation of lettuce
  • H2 Postgraduate views on AI in Research
  • H2 Addressing Sexual Harassment at University
  • H2 Insights from cancer patient journey mapping
  • H3 Collections
  • H3 Collections
  • H3 Conferences 2026
  • H3 Conferences 2026
  • H3 Publish with PLOS
  • H3 Connect with Us
  • H2 Get new content from PLOS One in your inbox
  • H3 Cookie Preference Center
  • H3 Customize Your Cookie Preference
A+
Alt Text Quality
All 14 images OK
PASS
All 14 images OK
Info::
14 image(s) with good alt text
14 images 14 good alt text
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Form Accessibility
All 4 controls labeled
PASS
All 4 controls labeled
Info::
4 control(s) properly labeled
4 controls
4 labeled
0 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#searchtextSearcharia-label
#switch0checkboxOnOfffor/id
#switch1checkboxOnOfffor/id
#switch2checkboxOnOfffor/id
A+
Print Stylesheet
Print styles detected
PASS
Print styles detected
Info::
External print stylesheet detected
Got: /resource/css/print.css
Print Stylesheet ✓ Print Optimized
Print stylesheet /resource/css/print.css ✓Inline @media print Not detected ✗
A+
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 100/100 — 0 failing, 26 passed
PASS
100

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable
○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state
○The page has a logical tab order
○Visual order on the page follows DOM order
○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region
○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page
○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation
○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology
○Custom controls have associated labels
○Custom controls have ARIA roles
●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles
●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`
●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes
●`[role]` values are valid
●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values
●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
●Buttons have an accessible name
●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
●Form elements have associated labels
●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.
●`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes
●Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio
●Document has a `<title>` element
●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
●Links have a discernible name
●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements
●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0
●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.
●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
○`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents
○ARIA input fields have accessible names
○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names
○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.
○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element
○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.
○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names
○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names
○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names
○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region
○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.
○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements
○ARIA IDs are unique
○No form fields have multiple labels
○`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.
○Input buttons have discernible text.
○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
○Links are distinguishable without relying on color.
○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
○`<object>` elements have alternate text
○Select elements have associated label elements.
○Skip links are focusable.
○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.
○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.
○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value
○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.
○All heading elements contain content.
○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
○Identical links have the same purpose.
○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.
○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.
All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.

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