Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

5 PASS 3 REVIEW 5 FIX

Favicon & Branding

Action

2 icon(s) detected

FIX

2 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

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

Web Manifest

Action

Not found

FIX

Not found

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.

Dark Mode Support

Action

No dark mode signals

FIX

No dark mode signals

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 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.

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 ✗

Navigation UX

Action

No navigation patterns

FIX

No navigation patterns

2 navigation landmark(s) detected

No breadcrumbs, search, or skip link detected

These navigation aids help users orient themselves and find content efficiently, especially on large sites.

Breadcrumbs

Skip Link

Labeled Navigation 2 <nav> element(s)

Hamburger Menu

Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)

1 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.

Landmark Structure

5 landmarks

REVIEW

5 landmarks

<main> landmark present

2 <nav> landmark(s) found

2 of 2 <nav> elements are unlabeled

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

Skip navigation link is missing (WCAG 2.4.1)

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

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

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

Why this matters

Without a skip-nav link, keyboard users tab through every nav item before reaching content — every page, every visit.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism to skip past repeated content. The standard implementation is a 'Skip to main content' link that's the first focusable element, visually hidden until focused. Three lines of HTML + four of CSS.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1

404 Error Page

Action

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page Not Found | OSTI.GOV ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 11 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

9 pass 11 fail WCAG AA 9 pass AA only

h1 U.S. Department of Energy

2.61:1

#000000

#195577

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · mid-page · over background image/gradient

h1 U.S. Department of Energy

1.65:1

#000000

#013558

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

32px · bottom of viewport

a Persistent

4.25:1

#000000

#357799

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Identifier Services

4.02:1

#000000

#327395

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span & Dev Tools

3.80:1

#000000

#2E6F91

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a About

3.59:1

#000000

#2B6B8D

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a FAQs

3.39:1

#000000

#286789

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · mid-page

a News

3.20:1

#000000

#256385

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · mid-page

a Sign In

2.98:1

#000000

#215E81

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · mid-page

a Create Account

2.81:1

#000000

#1E5A7C

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · mid-page

span Office of Scientific and Technical Infor…

2.39:1

#000000

#154F71

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · mid-page · over background image/gradient

2 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)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 U.S. Department of E…	2.61:1	3.0:1	#000000	#195577	Fail
h1 U.S. Department of E…	1.65:1	3.0:1	#000000	#013558	Fail
title OSTI.GOV \| U.S. Depa…	6.93:1	4.5:1	#000000	#529DBE	Pass
span Main Menu	6.60:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4F99BA	Pass
a Submit	6.28:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4C95B6	Pass
span Research Results	5.91:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4890B2	Pass
a Search	5.62:1	4.5:1	#000000	#458CAE	Pass
span Tools	5.33:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4288A9	Pass
span Public	5.06:1	4.5:1	#000000	#3F84A5	Pass
a Access	4.79:1	4.5:1	#000000	#3B80A1	Pass
span Guidance	4.54:1	4.5:1	#000000	#387C9D	Pass
a Persistent	4.25:1	4.5:1	#000000	#357799	Fail
span Identifier Services	4.02:1	4.5:1	#000000	#327395	Fail
span & Dev Tools	3.80:1	4.5:1	#000000	#2E6F91	Fail
a About	3.59:1	4.5:1	#000000	#2B6B8D	Fail
a FAQs	3.39:1	4.5:1	#000000	#286789	Fail
a News	3.20:1	4.5:1	#000000	#256385	Fail
a Sign In	2.98:1	4.5:1	#000000	#215E81	Fail
a Create Account	2.81:1	4.5:1	#000000	#1E5A7C	Fail
span Office of Scientific…	2.39:1	4.5:1	#000000	#154F71	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.

Heading Hierarchy

3 headings

PASS

3 headings

Multiple H1 headings (3 found)

A page should have only one H1. Multiple H1s dilute the document outline.

1 empty heading(s)

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

H1 (empty)
H1 U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Scientific and Technical Information duplicate H1
H1 U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Scientific and Technical Information duplicate H1

A page should have only one H1. Multiple H1s dilute the document outline.

Why this matters

Multiple H1s blur the page's primary topic — screen-reader users and Google both prefer one H1.

Learn more ▾

HTML5's outline algorithm technically allows multiple H1s within sectioning content, but no browser implements it. In practice: one H1 per page. Use H2-H6 for subsections.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

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 3 images OK

PASS

All 3 images OK

3 image(s) with good alt text

3 images 3 good alt text

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 29 controls labeled

PASS

All 29 controls labeled

29 control(s) properly labeled

29 controls

29 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#search_search	text	Search terms:	for/id
#search_term	text	All Fields:	for/id
#search_title	text	Title:	for/id
#search_creators	text	Author / Contributor:	for/id
#search_doi	text	Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	for/id
#search_idnos	text	Identifier Numbers:	for/id
#search_pubd_from	text	Publication Date:	for/id
#search_pubd_until	text	to	for/id
#search_fulltext	text	Full Text:	for/id
#search_product_type	text	Resource Type:	for/id
product_type_option	checkbox	Journal Article	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Technical Report	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Data	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Software	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Patent	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Conference / Event	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Book / Monograph	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Program Document	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Thesis / Dissertation	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Video / Audio	none
product_type_option	checkbox	Miscellaneous	none
#search_subject	text	Subject:	for/id
#search_site_code	select	Site:	for/id
#search_research_org	text	Research Org:	for/id
#search_sponsor_org	text	Sponsoring Org:	for/id
#search_updd_from	text	Update Date:	for/id
#search_updd_until	text	to	for/id
#search_inis_nsa	checkbox	Limit to INIS / NSA records only	none
#search_nobel	checkbox	Limit to Nobel Prize winning researchers only	none

Link & Button Quality

32 links, 3 buttons — all OK

PASS

32 links, 3 buttons — all OK

9 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://www.energy.gov; https://www.energy.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy; https://www.facebook.com/ostigov; https://x.com/OSTIgov; https://www.youtube.com/user/ostigov; https://www.energy.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy; https://www.facebook.com/ostigov; https://X.com/OSTIgov; https://www.youtube.com/user/ostigov

23 link(s) with descriptive text

32 links

0 empty

0 generic text

9 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.energy.gov	Department of Energy Seal	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.energy.gov/vulnerability-dis…	Vulnerability Disclosure Progr…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/ostigov	OSTI.GOV on Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://x.com/OSTIgov	OSTI.GOV on X	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/user/ostigov	OSTI.GOV on YouTube	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.energy.gov/vulnerability-dis…	Vulnerability Disclosure Progr…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/ostigov	OSTI.GOV on Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://X.com/OSTIgov	OSTI.GOV on X	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/user/ostigov	OSTI.GOV on YouTube	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

26 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

https://www.energy.gov; https://www.energy.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy; https://www.facebook.com/ostigov; https://x.com/OSTIgov; https://www.youtube.com/user/ostigov; https://www.energy.gov/vulnerability-disclosure-policy; https://www.facebook.com/ostigov; https://X.com/OSTIgov; https://www.youtube.com/user/ostigov

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

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 96/100 — 1 failing, 19 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.

Best practices

Touch targets with sufficient size and spacing help users who may have difficulty targeting small controls to activate the targets. Learn more about touch targets.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Advanced search options `div.row > div.col-11 > div > button.close-advformoptions`

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

○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>`

●`[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.

●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

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Document has a main landmark.

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

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

○Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

○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

○`[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

○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.

○No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

○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.