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 4 REVIEW 4 FIX

Web Manifest

Action

Valid manifest

FIX

Valid manifest

Name present: PeerJ

192x192 icon present

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

Name PeerJ ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✗Start URL ✗Display Mode ✗

Name PeerJ Icons 6 icon(s)

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 ✗

Navigation UX

Action

2 navigation pattern(s)

FIX

2 navigation pattern(s)

Skip navigation link detected

Back-to-top link detected

1 navigation landmark(s) detected

Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)

Breadcrumbs

Skip Link Skip link detected

Labeled Navigation 1 <nav> element(s)

Hamburger Menu

Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)

4 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Strong navigation UX with multiple discovery paths.

Link & Button Quality

Action

2 issue(s) across 40 links and 19 buttons

REVIEW

2 issue(s) across 40 links and 19 buttons

6 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://e2ebb866.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAIhKl5RSMRVHZNttVMBSD8RoJIlti8YX75mWP…; https://bsky.app/profile/peerj.bsky.social; https://www.linkedin.com/company/peerj/; https://x.com/thePeerJ; https://www.youtube.com/@Peerj; https://www.facebook.com/thePeerJ

2 button(s) with no accessible text

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

Got: button.v-btn (#136 on page); button.mb-2 (#173 on page)

34 link(s) with descriptive text

40 links

0 empty

0 generic text

6 new tab

2 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://e2ebb866.sibforms.com/serve/MUIF…	Subscribe to our Newsletter	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://bsky.app/profile/peerj.bsky.soci…	bsky.app	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.linkedin.com/company/peerj/	linkedin	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://x.com/thePeerJ	x.com	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/@Peerj	youtube	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/thePeerJ	facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label

51 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

https://e2ebb866.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAIhKl5RSMRVHZNttVMBSD8RoJIlti8YX75mWP…; https://bsky.app/profile/peerj.bsky.social; https://www.linkedin.com/company/peerj/; https://x.com/thePeerJ; https://www.youtube.com/@Peerj; https://www.facebook.com/thePeerJ

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

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

button.v-btn (#136 on page); button.mb-2 (#173 on page)

Why this matters

Buttons with no accessible text (icon-only, no aria-label) can't be activated by voice control or understood by screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.2

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 PeerJ Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journals, Trusted by Researchers ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

Favicon & Branding

21 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

21 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✓ Manifest Icons Present

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

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

title PeerJ - Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journa…

1.42:1

#000000

#10147E

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Skip to main content

1.40:1

#000000

#0F137C

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a PeerJ

1.71:1

#000000

#292B77

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area) · over background image/gradient

span Submit Article

2.49:1

#000000

#4B4B65

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span

1.04:1

#000000

#0D0405

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

label Search Articles, Users, & Help

1.16:1

#000000

#231208

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Filter

1.01:1

#000000

#070000

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Shortcuts

1.02:1

#000000

#080101

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Adv search

1.02:1

#000000

#090202

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

div Recent search queries

1.19:1

#000000

#25140F

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

span Clear all

1.15:1

#000000

#240F09

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

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 Committed to open, t…	20.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FBFBFB	Pass
h2 Our Journals	20.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FBFBFB	Pass
h2 PeerJ	20.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FBFBFB	Pass
h2 PeerJ Computer Scien…	20.29:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FBFBFB	Pass
h2 PeerJ Hubs	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 What our Authors are…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
title PeerJ - Peer-Reviewe…	1.42:1	4.5:1	#000000	#10147E	Fail
a Skip to main content	1.40:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0F137C	Fail
a PeerJ	1.71:1	4.5:1	#000000	#292B77	Fail
span Submit Article	2.49:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4B4B65	Fail
span	1.04:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0D0405	Fail
label Search Articles, Use…	1.16:1	4.5:1	#000000	#231208	Fail
span Filter	1.01:1	4.5:1	#000000	#070000	Fail
span Shortcuts	1.02:1	4.5:1	#000000	#080101	Fail
span Adv search	1.02:1	4.5:1	#000000	#090202	Fail
div Recent search querie…	1.19:1	4.5:1	#000000	#25140F	Fail
span Clear all	1.15:1	4.5:1	#000000	#240F09	Fail
span Why publish with us	20.29:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FBFBFB	Pass
div A multidisciplinary,…	20.29:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FBFBFB	Pass
div Explore Journal	20.29:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FBFBFB	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+

Landmark Structure

9 landmarks

PASS

9 landmarks

<main> landmark present

1 <nav> landmark(s) found

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

A+

Heading Hierarchy

9 headings

PASS

9 headings

Single H1 present

H6 Notifications
H1 Committed to open, trusted by researchers
H2 Our Journals
H2 PeerJ
H2 PeerJ Computer Science
H2 Annual Institutional Memberships (AIMs)
H2 PeerJ Hubs
H2 Ready to Submit your Research?
H2 What our Authors are Saying

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 2 images OK

PASS

All 2 images OK

2 image(s) with good alt text

2 images 2 good alt text

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
#input-63	text	Search Articles, Users, & Help	for/id

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

●`[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 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

●Identical links have the same purpose.

●Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○`[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

○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.

○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.