Assessment for JSTOR by Fanshawe - Module 4: Content

Submitted by a_thom@fanshawec.ca on
Are the sampled PDFs image-only?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Most newer articles are fully searchable, but some older scanned articles (pre-1990s) appear as image-only PDFs where text cannot be highlighted or copied. These are less common but still present.
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)?
Answer: Never
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are alternative descriptions provided?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Some PDFs include alt text for figures, but many (especially older articles) lack alternative descriptions.
Is primary language specified?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Modern PDFs usually specify language correctly, but older files often do not.
Is reliable character encoding provided?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are all page elements tagged?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Newer PDFs are well-tagged, but many older articles lack full structural tagging (headings, sections, etc.).
Are list and table structure correct?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Tables and lists are often readable but may lack proper tagging, affecting navigation for screen readers.
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Reading order is generally correct in newer PDFs but may be inconsistent in scanned or poorly tagged documents.
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Older PDFs may include artifacts like repeated “blank” or misread elements due to poor tagging.
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Many images lack embedded alt text, though descriptions are sometimes provided in captions.
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: PDF articles rarely use images as titles or logos.
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Graphs are often explained in surrounding text, but not always fully described for accessibility.
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Tables are visually clear but often lack proper tagging or summaries.
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Headers are visually present but may not be tagged correctly for screen readers.
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Some PDFs include bookmarks (especially newer ones), but many older articles do not.
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are videos captioned?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: JSTOR contains limited video content; some videos include captions, others do not.
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Caption quality varies depending on the content provider.
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
Are the captions in sync with spoken words?
Answer: Always
Score: 2
Notes:
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Some videos include transcripts, but not consistently.
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Text alternatives are inconsistent when captions are missing.
Do videos include described video, or if not, is there a text equivalent of the video provided on the same page or via a link?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: Most videos lack dedicated audio descriptions; some provide transcripts instead.
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents?
Answer: Sometimes
Score: 1
Notes: When transcripts are available, they are generally accurate but may lack visual detail.
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: Does not have standalone audio content.
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio?
Answer: Not Applicable
Score: -1
Notes: Does not have standalone audio content.
eResource: JSTOR
eResource Type: Database
Vendor: Ithaka
Institution: Fanshawe
Score: C+

Key Findings

Weaknesses

  • While most PDFs are searchable, tagging quality is inconsistent, especially in older archival content.
  • Video accessibility varies widely depending on source content.

PDFs

Searchable PDFs

Question Answer Notes Images
Are the sampled PDFs image-only? Sometimes Most newer articles are fully searchable, but some older scanned articles (pre-1990s) appear as image-only PDFs where text cannot be highlighted or copied. These are less common but still present.
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)? Never
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable? Always

Tagged PDFs

Question Answer Notes Images
Are alternative descriptions provided? Sometimes Some PDFs include alt text for figures, but many (especially older articles) lack alternative descriptions.
Is primary language specified? Sometimes Modern PDFs usually specify language correctly, but older files often do not.
Is reliable character encoding provided? Always
Are all page elements tagged? Sometimes Newer PDFs are well-tagged, but many older articles lack full structural tagging (headings, sections, etc.).
Are list and table structure correct? Sometimes Tables and lists are often readable but may lack proper tagging, affecting navigation for screen readers.

Structure: Reading Order

Question Answer Notes Images
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections? Sometimes Reading order is generally correct in newer PDFs but may be inconsistent in scanned or poorly tagged documents.
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”? Sometimes Older PDFs may include artifacts like repeated “blank” or misread elements due to poor tagging.
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document? Always

Magnification

Question Answer Notes Images
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read? Always

Images

Positioning of Images

Question Answer Notes Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find? Always

Alternative Description

Question Answer Notes Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Sometimes Many images lack embedded alt text, though descriptions are sometimes provided in captions.
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Not Applicable PDF articles rarely use images as titles or logos.
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Sometimes Graphs are often explained in surrounding text, but not always fully described for accessibility.

Tables

Question Answer Notes Images
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate? Sometimes Tables are visually clear but often lack proper tagging or summaries.
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers? Sometimes Headers are visually present but may not be tagged correctly for screen readers.

Additional Navigational Aids

Question Answer Notes Images
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks? Sometimes Some PDFs include bookmarks (especially newer ones), but many older articles do not.
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document? Always

Video Captions

Question Answer Notes Images
Are videos captioned? Sometimes JSTOR contains limited video content; some videos include captions, others do not.
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive? Always
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)? Sometimes Caption quality varies depending on the content provider.
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video? Always
Are the captions in sync with spoken words? Always
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided? Sometimes Some videos include transcripts, but not consistently.
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided? Sometimes Text alternatives are inconsistent when captions are missing.

Described Video

Question Answer Notes Images
Do videos include described video, or if not, is there a text equivalent of the video provided on the same page or via a link? Sometimes Most videos lack dedicated audio descriptions; some provide transcripts instead.
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents? Sometimes When transcripts are available, they are generally accurate but may lack visual detail.

Audio Accessibility

Question Answer Notes Images
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip? Not Applicable Does not have standalone audio content.
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio? Not Applicable Does not have standalone audio content.
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