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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
53
GRADE
F
FIX
7
REVIEW
3
PASS
3
INFO
0
Checks
13
3 PASS 3 REVIEW 7 FIX
F
Heading Hierarchy
Action
45 headings, 3 skip(s)
FIX
45 headings, 3 skip(s)
Critical::
No H1 heading found
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H2 → H6 (missing H3)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H3 → H5 (missing H4)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H4 → H6 (missing H5)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
  • H3 Access to raw data
  • H3 Content discovery
  • H3 OAI identifiers
  • H3 Managing content
  • H3 Bespoke contracts
  • H3 Support us
  • H3 About
  • H3 Community governance
  • H3 Innovations
  • H2 A comprehensive bibliographic database of the world’s scholarly literature
  • H2 The world’s largest collection of open access research papers
  • H2 Machine access to our vast unique full text corpus
  • H2 A comprehensive bibliographic database of the world’s scholarly literature
  • H2 The world’s largest collection of open access research papers
  • H2 Machine access to our vast unique full text corpus
  • H2 A comprehensive bibliographic database of the world’s scholarly literature
  • H2 CORE features
  • H6 Indexing the world’s repositories skipped
  • H6 Comprehensive data coverage
  • H6 Powerful services
  • H6 Cutting-edge solutions
  • H3 Join CORE
  • H3 Cost-free PIDs for your repository
  • H3 Who we serve?
  • H5 Companies skipped
  • H6 Gareth Malcolm, Content Partner Manager at Turnitin
  • H5 Academic institutions
  • H6 Nicola Dowson, Library Services Manager at Open University
  • H5 Researchers & general public
  • H6 Jon Tennant, Rogue Paleontologist and Founder of the Open Science MOOC
  • H5 Funders
  • H6 Ben Johnson, Research Policy Adviser at Research England
  • H3 CORE’s Distinctive Characteristics
  • H3 Our services
  • H4 Access to raw data
  • H4 Content discovery
  • H4 Managing content
  • H3 Guidance for Open Access compliance monitoring in REF 2029
  • H4 Gareth Malcolm
  • H4 Kathleen Shearer
  • H4 Burton Davis
  • H6 Product skipped
  • H6 Organisation
  • H6 Support
  • H6 Writing about CORE?

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

Why this matters

No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.

Learn more ▾

The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

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

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

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

F
Favicon & Branding
Action
6 icon(s) detected
FIX
6 icon(s) detected
Warning::
No favicon.ico at site root
Some older browsers, bookmark tools, and RSS readers look for /favicon.ico. Add one as a fallback.
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 Missing
✓ PNG Icons Present
✗ Apple Touch Missing
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✗ Manifest Icons Missing
✗ Multiple Sizes Missing
D
Web Manifest
Action
Not found
FIX
Not found
Info::
No web manifest found
No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

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.

D
Print Stylesheet
Action
No print styles
FIX
No print styles
Info::
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 ✗
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.
B
404 Error Page
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
Info::
Navigation links present on 404 page
Info::
Homepage link present on 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page is not found ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✗
B
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

20 pass 16 pass AA only
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 A comprehensive bibl…4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h2 The world’s larges…4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h2 Machine access to ou…4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h2 A comprehensive bibl…4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h2 The world’s larges…4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h2 Machine access to ou…4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h2 A comprehensive bibl…4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h2 CORE features4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h3 Access to raw data21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Content discovery21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 OAI identifiers21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Managing content21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Bespoke contracts4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h3 Support us4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h3 About4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h3 Community governance4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h3 Innovations4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h3 Join CORE4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h3 Cost-free PIDs for y…4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
Pass
h3 Who we serve?4.28:13.0:1
#000000
#B75400
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.

B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 87/100 — 4 failing, 24 passed
REVIEW
87

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.

ARIA

Focusable descendents within an `[aria-hidden="true"]` element prevent those interactive elements from being available to users of assistive technologies like screen readers. Learn how `aria-hidden` affects focusable elements.

Why this matters

Informational: a Permissions-Policy directive showing feature -> allowed origins.

Source: MDN Permissions-Policy

Failing Elements
A comprehensive bibliographic database of the world’s scholarly literature EXPL… div.slick-slider > div.slick-list > div.slick-track > div.slick-slide
The world’s largest collection of open access research papers Search 449M paper… div.slick-slider > div.slick-list > div.slick-track > div.slick-slide
A comprehensive bibliographic database of the world’s scholarly literature EXPL… div.slick-slider > div.slick-list > div.slick-track > div.slick-slide
The world’s largest collection of open access research papers Search 449M paper… div.slick-slider > div.slick-list > div.slick-track > div.slick-slide
Machine access to our vast unique full text corpus EXPLORE SERVICESSEE OUR DATA… div.slick-slider > div.slick-list > div.slick-track > div.slick-slide
A comprehensive bibliographic database of the world’s scholarly literature EXPL… div.slick-slider > div.slick-list > div.slick-track > div.slick-slide

These are opportunities to improve the usage of ARIA in your application which may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Data ul.key-feature_key-feature-list__2SuoI > li.key-feature_key-feature__1UXob > div.card-container-11P0y > span.key-feature_key-feature-status-icon__1LEPU
POSI div.index_posi-title-wrapper__3f2fw > div.index_sub-title__4NlXF > p > a
CORE OAI Resolver div.index_inner-oai__3oasd > div.index_description__rkkV5 > p > a
Learn more. div.index_inner-oai__3oasd > div.index_description__rkkV5 > p > a
Show all div.index_main-item__2WLjp > section.index_carousel-wrapper__2jLTr > div.index_link-wrapper__1q94Z > a.index_link__2_g-Q
Show all div.index_main-item__2WLjp > section.index_carousel-wrapper__2jLTr > div.index_link-wrapper__1q94Z > a.index_link__2_g-Q
Show all div.index_main-item__2WLjp > section.index_carousel-wrapper__2jLTr > div.index_link-wrapper__1q94Z > a.index_link__2_g-Q
CORE Members. div.footer-section-logos-1_Ejr > p > a > span

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

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
Indexing the world’s repositories ul.key-feature_key-feature-list__2SuoI > li.key-feature_key-feature__1UXob > div.card-container-11P0y > h6.card-title-2rvi9
Companies ul.testimonial_list__vNocp > li.testimonial_item__fzYs2 > div.testimonial_header__3o5WS > h5.testimonial_title__1ZJJA
Product div.footer-container-1XrUr > menu.footer-menu-2JIRS > div > h6.footer-menu-title-2NNki

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

Tables and lists

Screen readers have a specific way of announcing lists. Ensuring proper list structure aids screen reader output. Learn more about proper list structure.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Access to raw data Create new and innovative solutions. Content discovery Fi… main.article > div.styles_layout__2NtMC > section.styles_container__3Krg3 > ul.services_list__3EeBN

These are opportunities to improve the experience of reading tabular or list data using 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
●`[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 use only permitted ARIA attributes
●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.
●Links have a discernible name
●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.
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●ARIA IDs are unique
●Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
●Identical links have the same purpose.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
○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
○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.
○`[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
○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.
A+
Landmark Structure
7 landmarks
PASS
7 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
Alt Text Quality
17 of 44 images have issues
PASS
17 of 44 images have issues
Warning::
17 image(s) with generic alt text
Info::
2 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
25 image(s) with good alt text
44 images 25 good alt text 2 decorative 17 generic
IssueCount
generic17 image(s)
A+
Form Accessibility
All 2 controls labeled
PASS
All 2 controls labeled
Info::
2 control(s) properly labeled
2 controls
2 labeled
0 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#select-search-inputtextSearch 449M papers from around the worldfor/id
#select-search-inputtextSearch 449M papers from around the worldfor/id
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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