Accessibility statement for the Open Journal System

This statement applies to content published on the https://ojs.st-andrews.ac.uk domain, run by the University of St Andrews. It does not apply to content on any other university domain or subdomain.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver).

We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

You can also explore some of our recommendations for tools that can make your online experience better.

How accessible this website is

Open Journal System is partially compliant. There are some areas of content that are not fully-compliant within individual journals, in addition to some structual issues at the global level.

Some areas of inaccessibility include:

  • Some images do not have good alternative text or are missing alternative text.
  • Some local links are not working.
  • Some links are only identified by colour.
  • Some pages have multiple titles.
  • The same link text is used for multiple destinations.
  • Some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard.
  • Some pages have poor colour contrast.

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that aren’t listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact IT Service Desk:

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

We have induction loops in main lecture venues, and we have portable loops that may be set up if requested in advance. We also have a Roger pen to assist visitors who use hearing aids.

We can provide a text relay service for people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment who are contacting us by phone.

British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact us via the online BSL Video Relay Interpreting service from Contact Scotland BSL. We will also try to arrange a BSL interpreter for visitors who need that support, but this should be requested in advance as availability is limited.

Find out how to contact the University. 

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of St Andrews is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

Images

Some images added to Libguides do not have alternative text, so the information in them isn’t available to people using a screen reader. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).

We will improve text alternatives over time as we review each page.

PDFs and other attached documents

Many of our PDFs and other documents don’t meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be accessible to screen reader software.

Some of our PDFs and other attached documents are essential to providing our services. We will review and replace PDFs and documents with HTML pages where possible.

The same link for multiple destinations

Some link text doesn’t make sense when read on its own (for example, ‘click here’), and there are instances where text is difficult to read (Success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose - In Context).

We will correct link text over time as we review each page. When we publish new content, we’ll make sure link text meets accessibility standards and follows plain English guidelines.

Forms and interactive elements

There are forms and interactive elements such as carousels which do not meet multiple AA success criteria, including:

  • Orientation (1.3.4)
  • Colour contrast (1.4.3)
  • Resize text (1.4.4)
  • Reflow (1.4.10)
  • Non-text contrast (1.4.11)
  • Text spacing (1.4.12)
  • Headings and labels (2.4.6)
  • Focus visible (2.4.7)
  • Consistent navigation (3.2.3)
  • Error suggestion (3.3.3)
  • Labels and grouping (3.3.2)

We will improve forms and interactive elements over time as we review each page.

Contrast issues

Some pages contain elements with low contrast between the element and its background. This can cause text to be difficult to read, especially for those with low vision, poor eyesight, or colour blindness (Success criterion 1.4.3 Contrast - minimum).

We will correct the contrast on these elements over time as we review each page.

Multiple title elements

Some pages have multiple title elements. This can cause issues with screen readers (Success criterion 2.4.2 Page Titled).

We will fix the issues we encounter.

Link text used for multiple different destinations

The same link text is used for links going to different destinations. Users might not know the difference if they are not somehow explained (Success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose).

We will fix the issues we encounter.

Link identified only by color

Some links are only distinguishable as links by their colour (Success criterion 1.4.1 Use of Colour).

We will fix the issues we encounter.

Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and other attached documents

The accessibility regulations don’t require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Some content on Open Journal System is not fully accessible. The University is committed to improving this by working to update all content intended for all audiences to resolve many of the accessibility issues.   

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 18 September 2020. It was last reviewed on 3 September 2024.

Open Journal System is tested on a regular basis, using an accessibility tool provided by Siteimprove. This tool tests a sample of web pages and provides a report on accessibility issues. 

Issues are prioritised according to the severity of the impact it may cause, the number of people who may be impacted and the time involved in resolving the issue.