Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

9 PASS 1 REVIEW 3 FIX

Dark Mode Support

Action

Theme color only

FIX

Theme color only

Theme-color present but no dark variant

A theme-color is set but no dark-specific variant was found. The browser toolbar may not adapt for dark mode users.

Got: #ffffff

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModePartial Dark Mode

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

No print-specific styles detected

When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.

Print Stylesheet No Print Styles

Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗

Link & Button Quality

6 issue(s) across 145 links and 3 buttons

REVIEW

6 issue(s) across 145 links and 3 buttons

6 link(s) with no accessible text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

Got: /articles/103503; /reviewed-preprints/108669; /articles/91082; /articles/110392; /inside-elife/6e5e9420/elife-latest-announcing-kamran-naim-as-new-chair-of-ou…; /articles/111095

139 link(s) with descriptive text

145 links

6 empty

0 generic text

0 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
/articles/103503	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/reviewed-preprints/108669	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/articles/91082	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/articles/110392	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/inside-elife/6e5e9420/elife-latest-anno…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/articles/111095	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label

142 links and buttons have descriptive text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

/articles/103503; /reviewed-preprints/108669; /articles/91082; /articles/110392; /inside-elife/6e5e9420/elife-latest-announcing-kamran-naim-as-new-chair-of-ou…; /articles/111095

Why this matters

Links with no accessible text (empty <a></a>, image-only no alt, icon-only no aria-label) are unidentifiable to screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

Landmark Structure

46 landmarks

PASS

46 landmarks

<main> landmark present

5 <nav> landmark(s) found

4 of 5 <nav> elements are unlabeled

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Why this matters

Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.

Learn more ▾

When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.

Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

Heading Hierarchy

30 headings, 1 skip(s)

PASS

30 headings, 1 skip(s)

Single H1 present

Heading level skipped: H1 → H3 (missing H2)

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

H3 Menu
H1 Making peer review and publishing better for science
H3 Highlights skipped
H2 The impact of fluid flow on bacterial colonies
H2 Seeing inside the liver in 3D
H2 A next-generation strategy for tackling antibiotic resistance
H2 Publish-review-curate at eLife
H2 eLife Board of Directors
H2 A way to improve lab meetings
H3 Latest research
H4 Full factorial construction of synthetic microbial communities
H4 Adult-neurogenesis allows for representational stability and flexibility in early olfactory system
H4 Bifunctional Architecture Enables Substrate Catalysis and Channeling in Paracoccus TMAO Demethylase
H4 Reassessing prediction in the brain: Pre-onset neural encoding during natural listening does not reflect pre-activation
H4 Redirection of SARS-CoV-2 to Phagocytes by Intranasal sACE2-Fc as a Universal Decoy Confers Complete Prophylactic Protection
H4 Fully computational design of PAM-relaxed Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 with expanded targeting capability using UniDesign
H4 Morphine regulates astrocyte transcriptional dynamics in the ventral tegmental area by stimulation of glucocorticoid signaling
H4 Multiple functions of cerebello-thalamic neurons in learning and offline consolidation of a motor skill in mice
H4 Clathrin-independent endocytosis and retrograde transport in cancer cells tune immune synapse organization and CD8 T cell response
H4 Colony demographics shape nest construction in Camponotus fellah ants
H3 Magazine
H4 Antibody Language Models: Taking the biology seriously makes models better
H4 Neuroanatomy: Hidden folds reveal brain organization
H4 Orbitofrontal Cortex: Cocaine disrupts hidden states in the brain
H4 Glycobiology: How enzymes make the right choice during biosynthesis
H4 Memory Encoding and Retrieval: Rethinking how memories are retrieved
H4 Membrane Biology: Two binding sites are better than one
H4 Psychedelic Drugs: Reshaping human neurons
H3 Categories
H2 Be the first to read new articles from eLife

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 14 images OK

PASS

All 14 images OK

7 decorative image(s) correctly marked

7 image(s) with good alt text

14 images 7 good alt text 7 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 1 controls labeled

PASS

All 1 controls labeled

1 control(s) properly labeled

1 controls

1 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
for	search	Search by keyword or author	none

404 Error Page

HTTP 404, custom page

PASS

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

Navigation links present on 404 page

Homepage link present on 404 page

Search form present on 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Error | eLife ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓

Favicon & Branding

24 icon(s) detected

PASS

24 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

SVG favicon detected — scales perfectly to any size

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✓ SVG Favicon Present

✓ Manifest Icons Present

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Web Manifest

Valid manifest

PASS

Valid manifest

Name present: eLife

192x192 icon present

512x512 icon present

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

Name eLife ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL / ✓Display Mode browser ✗

Name eLife Display Mode browser Theme Color #fff Background Color #ffffff Icons 9 icon(s)

A+

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA

PASS

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

20 pass

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h2 Be the first to read…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Menu	15.76:1	3.0:1	#000000	#DFDFDF	Pass
h3 Highlights	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Latest research	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Magazine	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Categories	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
title Latest research \| eL…	19.04:1	4.5:1	#000000	#EDF5FA	Pass
a Skip to Content	19.04:1	4.5:1	#000000	#EDF5FA	Pass
span eLife home page	19.04:1	4.5:1	#000000	#EDF5FA	Pass
a Menu	19.04:1	4.5:1	#000000	#EDF5FA	Pass
a Home	19.04:1	4.5:1	#000000	#EDF5FA	Pass
a Browse	18.71:1	4.5:1	#000000	#EBF3F8	Pass
a Magazine	17.41:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E3EBF0	Pass
a Community	15.70:1	4.5:1	#000000	#D8E0E4	Pass
a About	14.57:1	4.5:1	#000000	#D1D8DC	Pass
a Search	14.28:1	4.5:1	#000000	#CFD6DA	Pass
a Alerts	14.28:1	4.5:1	#000000	#CFD6DA	Pass
a Submit your research	14.28:1	4.5:1	#000000	#CFD6DA	Pass
span Search by keyword or…	14.28:1	4.5:1	#000000	#CFD6DA	Pass
span Reset form	14.28:1	4.5:1	#000000	#CFD6DA	Pass

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+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 95/100 — 2 failing, 27 passed

PASS

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.

Navigation

Properly ordered headings that do not skip levels convey the semantic structure of the page, making it easier to navigate and understand when using assistive technologies. Learn more about heading order.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
HIGHLIGHTS `main#maincontent > div.wrapper > div.highlight > h3#highlights`
Full factorial construction of synthetic microbial communities `li.listing-list__item > div.teaser > header.teaser__header > h4.teaser__header_text`

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

Names and labels

Link text (and alternate text for images, when used as links) that is discernible, unique, and focusable improves the navigation experience for screen reader users. Learn how to make links accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper `div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper`
div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper `div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper`
div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper `div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper`
div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper `div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper`
div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper `div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper`
div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper `div.highlight > ul.highlight__items > li.highlight-item > a.highlight-item__picture-wrapper`

These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

○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

●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

●`[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

●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.

●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role

●Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents

●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 are distinguishable without relying on color.

●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.

●`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names

○ARIA input fields have accessible names

○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names

○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

○Form elements have associated labels

○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.

○`<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.

○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○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.