Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

7 PASS 4 REVIEW 2 FIX

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 ✗

Favicon & Branding

Action

7 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

7 icon(s) detected

No favicon.ico at site root

Some older browsers, bookmark tools, and RSS readers look for /favicon.ico. Add one as a fallback.

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✗ favicon.ico Missing

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✓ Manifest Icons Present

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Web Manifest

Valid manifest

REVIEW

Valid manifest

Name present: Nature

192x192 icon present

512x512 icon present

Display mode: standalone

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

Name Nature ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL ✗Display Mode standalone ✓

Name Nature Display Mode standalone Theme Color #000000 Background Color #000000 Icons 2 icon(s)

Dark Mode Support

Dark mode detected

REVIEW

Dark mode detected

Dark-specific theme-color detected

A theme-color with media='(prefers-color-scheme: dark)' adapts the browser toolbar for dark mode.

prefers-color-scheme CSS detected in inline styles

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

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

Dark Mode✓ Dark Mode Supported

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color #000000 ✓CSS indicators Detected ✓

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 19 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

1 pass 19 fail WCAG AA

h2 Search

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Explore content

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 About the journal

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Publish with us

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Featured Content

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Advertisement

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Trending - Altmetric

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 nature.com footer links

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h3 Store and/or access information on a dev…

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · above the fold

h3 Personalised advertising and content, ad…

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · mid-page

h3 Quick links

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Scientists invented a fake disease. AI t…

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Genetic predictors of GLP1 receptor agon…

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Biodiversity resilience in a tropical ra…

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Ancient DNA reveals pervasive directiona…

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 About Nature Portfolio

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Discover content

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Publishing policies

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

h3 Author & Researcher services

1.56:1

#000000

#01324B

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h2 Your privacy, your c…	9.90:1	3.0:1	#000000	#B2B2B2	Pass
h2 Search	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h2 Explore content	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h2 About the journal	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h2 Publish with us	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h2 Featured Content	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h2 Advertisement	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h2 Trending - Altmetric	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h2 nature.com footer li…	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Store and/or access …	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Personalised adverti…	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Quick links	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Scientists invented …	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Genetic predictors o…	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Biodiversity resilie…	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Ancient DNA reveals …	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 About Nature Portfol…	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Discover content	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Publishing policies	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	Fail
h3 Author & Researcher …	1.56:1	3.0:1	#000000	#01324B	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

7 landmarks

PASS

7 landmarks

<main> landmark present

3 <nav> landmark(s) found

All <nav> elements are properly labeled

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Heading Hierarchy

63 headings

PASS

63 headings

Single H1 present

2 empty heading(s)

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

H2 Your privacy, your choice
H3 Store and/or access information on a device
H3 Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development
H1 (empty)
H2 Search
H3 Quick links
H2 Explore content
H2 About the journal
H2 Publish with us
H2 AI models ‘subliminally’ transmit biases when training other systems
H2 Featured Content
H3 Landmark ancient-genome study shows surprise acceleration of human evolution
H3 The air is full of DNA — here’s what scientists are using it for
H3 Identifying the topographic signature of early Martian oceans
H3 Daily briefing: Youthifying 'mirror' brings back more vivid childhood memories
H2 Advertisement
H2 News & Comment
H3 The nine-to-five PhD: mere myth or an achievable goal?
H3 Quantum computers take on health care: light-sensitive cancer drugs win US$2 million contest
H3 Why more fossil fuels won’t fix the Iran energy crisis
H3 Can China’s Great Green Wall shape efforts to keep the world’s deserts at bay?
H3 What China’s Great Green Wall can teach the world
H3 AI models ‘subliminally’ transmit biases when training other systems
H3 Dozens of AI disease-prediction models were trained on dubious data
H2 Latest Reviews & Analysis
H3 AI speeds up design of devices that turn waste heat into electricity
H3 Molecular profiling of gene-edited cells reveals shared drug-resistance mechanisms
H3 Brain–machine interface reveals the origin of a widely used neural signal
H3 Therapeutic mitochondria transplants made more efficient with targeting tool
H3 Bad influence: LLMs can transmit malicious traits using hidden signals
H3 A picture of health: gene-expression maps of the human liver from living donors
H3 How effective is the personalized off-label use of targeted cancer treatment?
H3 Tumour promotion through the lens of evolution
H3 A mechanism for adaptive genome regulation in cancer
H2 Latest Research articles
H3 Cytoplasmic lattices are megadalton storage complexes in mammalian oocytes
H3 Carbonyl swapping converts cyclic ketones to saturated heterocycles
H3 Monolithic 3D integration of tantalum pentoxide nonlinear photonics
H3 Linear RAG scanning mediates editing of Igκ variable region repertoires
H3 Identifying the topographic signature of early Martian oceans
H2 Collections
H3 China
H2 Trending - Altmetric
H3 Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real
H3 Genetic predictors of GLP1 receptor agonist weight loss and side effects
H3 Biodiversity resilience in a tropical rainforest
H3 Ancient DNA reveals pervasive directional selection across West Eurasia
H2 (empty)
H3 Science jobs
H4 Independent Junior Research Group Leaders (m/f/d)
H4 Global Faculty Recruitment 2026 – Tenured/Tenure-Track Positions at All Ranks
H4 Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Communications (Cardiovascular biology and disease)
H4 Senior AMO Physicist
H4 Head of Quantum Hardware
H2 nature.com footer links
H3 About Nature Portfolio
H3 Discover content
H3 Publishing policies
H3 Author & Researcher services
H3 Libraries & institutions
H3 Advertising & partnerships
H3 Professional development
H3 Regional websites

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

Why this matters

Empty <hN> tags break the document outline — screen-reader users navigating by heading hit dead silence.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 35 images OK

PASS

All 35 images OK

24 decorative image(s) correctly marked

11 image(s) with good alt text

35 images 11 good alt text 24 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 4 controls labeled

PASS

All 4 controls labeled

4 control(s) properly labeled

4 controls

4 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#keywords	text	Search articles by subject, keyword or author	for/id
#results-from	select	Show results from	for/id
#emailAddress	email	Email address	for/id
#gdpr-briefing-banner-checkbox	checkbox	I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Nature and Springer Nature Limited Privacy Policy.	for/id

A+

Link & Button Quality

137 links, 9 buttons — all OK

PASS

137 links, 9 buttons — all OK

1 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: https://www.nature.com/briefing/signup/?brieferEntryPoint=MainBriefingBanner

136 link(s) with descriptive text

137 links

0 empty

0 generic text

1 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.nature.com/briefing/signup/?…	Sign up for Nature Briefing	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

145 links and buttons have descriptive text

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

https://www.nature.com/briefing/signup/?brieferEntryPoint=MainBriefingBanner

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

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 Not Found | nature.com ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 100/100 — 0 failing, 25 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

●`[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

●`[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.

●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

○`[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

○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.

○`[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.

○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.