Assessment Report | LEAP

Assessment Information
eResource Title	Vendor	Overall Grade
CINAHL	EBSCO	C

Images

Positioning of Images

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?	Never	Images are limited to the logo in the top left corner or used as graphic buttons.

Functional images embedded in the background

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there functional images embedded in the background?	Always	All images appear to size appropriately to fit screen zooming options. Some icons get fuzzy and show signs of pixelation at larger sizes.

Presence of Icons

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there icons where appropriate, such as icons to indicate PDF Full Text, Download, Folder, Citation, etc?	Always	The regular search page and article page have well-accepted icons to indicate particular areas of the webpage. The first search page is overly complex and could use more iconography to help manage the sheer number of search options.

Alt Text

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Sometimes	Often linked diagrams or graphs will show up with the alternative text of "Diagram" or "Graph" instead of descriptive text to allow the user to know the graph title or description. At times, there is missing alternative text for images such as Publisher Logos.
Do functional images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Always	Functional images built into the core of EBSCO's search platform appear to be appropriately labelled and are easy to understand the labels. When using arrows for Next and Previous, they use appropriate alternative text to clarify the button's function.
Do images used as text contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Sometimes	The EBSCOhost logo does not have appropriate alternative text. It indicates that it will take you for a new search but does not mention the logo text.

Content Scaling

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
When zoomed in at 200%, is text intact, readable, and not cut off?	Always	Text is always intact, readable and has no areas of cut off.
Are images clear and unpixelated at 200%?	Sometimes	Tools Icons (right-hand side) and EBSCOhost logo appear pixelated at 200% in Google Chrome.
Is horizontal scrolling minimized at 200%?	Always	There is no horizontal scrolling at 200% in Google Chrome.

Colour and Contrast

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do text and images have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1?	Sometimes	Most pages have a contrast ratio of 8.59:1. But in the detailed article view, the Tools area has a contrast ratio of 4.35:1, meeting only the AA rating.

Colour

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do colour coded graphs have text equivalents?	Never	Graphs and diagrams found in the database do not appear to have text equivalents.
Are blocks of content separated from one another using visual separation (such as whitespace or borders)?	Always	There is a clear use of whitespace and borders to differentiate different areas of content.
Are text alternatives provided where colour is used to indicate an action?	Always	Yes, if colour is used to help identify a button, a text alternative is included.

Text to speech

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is there a choice embedded within the database that offers text to speech or read aloud options?	Always	When there is an HTML full-text article, there is always the option for text to speech / read aloud.

Clustered Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Using your mouse, is the clickable area around links and buttons large enough for users to see and activate easily?	Sometimes	Links in areas such as Author, Source, Subjects etc are often clustered together without any space making it difficult to click on different ones. Buttons usually have ample space for proper activation.
Using your mouse to test links, are links and buttons far enough apart for users to accurately activate?	Sometimes	Links in areas such as Author, Source, Subjects etc are often clustered together without any space making it difficult to click on different ones. Buttons usually have ample space for proper activation.
Using any method to test links, are all links and buttons functional (i.e., not dead)?	Sometimes	Almost all links and buttons appear functional. The wave tool occasionally picks up an empty link. But I am unable to confirm which link is empty. On the Results pages, the Search History / Alerts have empty links near the RSS symbol.
Are links or buttons accessible via keyboard navigation?	Sometimes	Most Keyboard navigations options work well. As seen on the results page: The escape button does not allow you to exit a drop-down menu. The drop-down menus do not allow using your arrow keys. You must tab down the drop-down menu. If you can escape the drop-down menu or open another one, it keeps the menu open over other text. You can access the lefthand menu for refining the search results unless you tab through all content first. On the Detailed Record view: You cannot access the PDF full text on the left-hand side or the Tools options on the right-hand side unless you tab through all content beforehand, including all the text of a HTML full-text article when available.

Dynamic content

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can users pause carousel movement?	Not Applicable	There do not appear to be any carousel movement items.
Is all functionality, including navigating between carousel items, operable by keyboard?	Not Applicable	There do not appear to be any carousel movement items.

Liquid layout

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is the order of the text preserved at all screen resolutions, without overlap?	Sometimes	On the Detailed Record page: At iPhone screen sizes, the left and right sidebars overlap the detailed record unless manually minimized. In portrait mode, some HTML full-text articles at this resolution require small amounts of side-scrolling if there are tables.
Do images avoid overlapping at all screen resolutions?	Always	Image overlap does not appear to be a problem.
Is the overall reading experience preserved at all screen resolutions?	Sometimes	On Results Page: The 800 x 600 and phone-sized screen resolutions required side-scrolling to see all information in the Search History / Alerts area.

Labels and Instructions for Interactive Elements

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are user input fields accompanied by clear instructions on what the user needs to do to successfully complete the form?	Sometimes	On the Search page: The Search box has place holder text "Enter any words to find books, jo" and it cuts off without letting you know the full statement. It clears the text once you type but doesn't include search instructions. Mostly Input fields are labelled instead of using instructions.
Do user input fields contain labels in addition to overall instructions mentioned above?	Sometimes	Most of the time there is not clear instruction. There is more use of labels than instruction.
Are descriptions for fields and boxes easy to understand?	Sometimes	There is often the assumption that people using the database know professional terms such as "References," "Peer Reviewed," "Boolean/Phrase."
Are labels placed above the user input fields and clearly associated with each field?	Always	Labels either appear above or beside the input field.
Are text cues for coloured form control labels available?	Never	Most prominently seen in the E-mail option on the Detailed Record page.
Are other visual indicators provided consistently, such as an asterisk for required form fields?	Never	Most prominently seen in the E-mail option on the Detailed Record page.

Error Prevention

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are user input fields either reversible, checked, or confirmed? One of the three is acceptable.	Always	Field inputs are checked for blank information, and errors are shown in red text near or beside the field with the error.

Error Reports

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are alert messages clearly visible to the user, either at the top of the form field, inline, or through a dialog box?	Always	On the Detailed Record page: The email function checks for the correct email address format and displays an error beside the field in red.
Do alert messages clearly indicate the field in which the error has occurred and a description of the error and the fix?	Always	If the user tries to send the email with an incorrect email using the NDVA screen reader, it doesn't read aloud the error unless the user backtracks to the field with the error.
Is the user able to easily access the user input field to correct the error?	Always
Is the user able to resubmit the form and re-validate their submission?	Always	The positive confirmation is a pop-up box that doesn't prompt the NDVA screen reader unless it is hovered over by the user's mouse.
Do error reports follow a logical reading and navigation order?	Always

Search function spell-check

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
When a user spells a word incorrectly, does the search function offer spelling suggestions or synonyms?	Never	It automatically fixed my search when searching for "cornavirus" to show the results for "coronavirus"; while giving the option to show the incorrect spelling results. But it doesn't offer options for spelling variations or synonyms.

Functionality of Interactive Elements

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are icons such as to save, download, or print consistent across the site?	Always
Is alternative text clear and consistent for each icon type?	Always
Are actions consistently labelled across the site? For example, the “search” button is always labeled “search”.	Always
Are icons that have adjacent links consistent?	Always	The links may appear adjacent or below the icon.
Can the purpose of each link be determined from the link text alone?	Always

Consistent Navigation

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the eresource have a consistent layout and navigation across all pages?	Always
Are search fields located in the same places throughout the website?	Always
Do other features occur in the same place throughout the website?	Always
Are links, buttons, images, and other components that are used repeatedly throughout a website labeled consistently?	Always

Pop-up windows/Interruptions

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the electronic resource avoid the use of pop-up windows which open automatically in a new tab if a user clicks on a button?	Never	Some confirmations such as the Email sent confirmation pops up in a small window. This window is not readable by the NVDA screen reader. There are pop up windows for opening images. The Refine Results area of the Results page is riddled with pop up windows with show more options.
Does the database avoid launching pop-up windows automatically when the database is loaded?	Always
Where pop-ups occur, are users able to postpone or suppress any pop-ups?	Never
Does the database avoid launching pages in a new browser window with the usual browser controls missing?	Sometimes	Images open in a separate window without browser controls other than to minimize, expand or close the window.

Headers

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Is page content subdivided hierarchically into appropriate headings and tagged appropriately?	Always
Are headings concise and clear, and accurately reflect the content under that heading?	Always

Menus

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do database page menus have a reasonable number of navigation items and drop-down options?	Sometimes	The Refine Results area contains many items, requires multiple clicks to access full information to limit results.
Does the main navigation and drop-downs contain a reasonable number of menu items?	Sometimes	Most areas are one click, but when refining results it can be a lot of menu items.
Can all menus and submenus be accessed with screen readers and via keyboard navigation?	Always

Change of context

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the “results” page or item record view avoid opening in a new tab without a warning?	Always
Is there an "update now" button that requests a refresh of content rather than automatically updating the content?	Never
Does the database avoid automatic redirection?	Never

Change of Context: Focus

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the form refrain from submitting automatically when a component receives focus?	Never
Does the database avoid launching new windows when a component receives focus?	Always
Does the database avoid change of focus when a component receives focus?	Always
Are you able to tab through a page using keyboard navigation without the keyboard focus moving away from the control?	Never

Navigation Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text, or from the link text together with its surrounding context?	Sometimes	If there is a popup blocker in place, helpful hints are prevented from popping up. The search history/alert area is confusing for the layperson. In the detailed record area, there are some linked items that have context information like "Subject Headings" or "DOI" but if the student is unaware of what those terms mean it may be confusing.

Keyboard Navigation

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Can keyboard focus be moved to all page elements?	Always
If moving keyboard focus away from a component requires more than arrow or tab keys, is this clearly indicated on the page?	Sometimes	In the detailed search areas, there is difficulty in selecting multiple options in the Journal Subset and Publication areas. There are no instructions to help the person using a keyboard select multiple options.
Is default keyboard navigation order logical and intuitive, following the visual flow of the page as described above?	Sometimes	On the results page, you automatically start in the articles area. You must then tab all the way to the bottom of the results before you can access the filters area. It can also be a bit tricky accessing the PDF files attached to articles.
When using a keyboard to navigate the interface, is the keyboard focus indicator visible?	Always
Does all interactive functionality work via keyboard, and does it behave consistently and as expected?	Always
Does focus order move sequentially across form fields?	Always

Skip Links

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are there skip links (either visible or invisible)?	Always
Are skip links visible or invisible?	Not Applicable	Both.
Are skip links (visible or invisible) positioned prominently near the beginning of the page?	Always
Are skip links labelled properly?	Always
Are skip links accessible via keyboard?	Sometimes	On the detailed records page, when using the skip to Main Content skip link, you must click it. It will not accept keyboard input.
Do anchors (link destinations) appear at the beginning of the relevant content?	Sometimes	In the detailed record view, they skip anything that is not a link. So it won't appear at the Abstract, etc.
Do skip navigation controls appear in the same place on every page?	Sometimes	Most of the skip navigation controls are invisibly skipped.

Tables

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the reader capture accurate information as it appears in the table and the columns and rows?	Always

Frames

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the screen reader successfully navigate from one frame to another?	Not Applicable	No frames used.
Does each frame have a meaningful title that tells the user the purpose of the frame?	Not Applicable	No frames used.
When navigating the page using keyboard navigation, is the user able to navigate effectively from one frame to the next?	Not Applicable	No frames used.

PDFs

Searchable PDFs

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the sampled PDFs image-only?	Never	Tested 8 PDFs.
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)?	Not Applicable	Not applicable.
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable?	Always	Tested 8 PDFs.

Tagged PDFs

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are alternative descriptions provided?	Never	Tested 8 PDFs. All failed in the following categories: figures alternative text, nested alternative text, associated with the content, hidden annotations, other elements alternative text.
Is primary language specified?	Never	Tested 8 PDFs.
Is reliable character encoding provided?	Always	Tested 8 PDFs.
Are all page elements tagged?	Sometimes	Tested 8 PDFs. All failed in the Tagged Content and Tagged Annotations categories; all passed in the Tagged Multimedia category.
Are list and table structure correct?	Never	Tested 8 PDFs. All PDFs failed all categories.

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	Tested 8 PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Reader. 90% of the time, the Read Out Loud function reads in a logical sense to preserve the text's order. Problematic when reaching charts and graphics.
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”?	Sometimes	Tested 8 PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Reader. Skips charts or reads them directly across in a confusing way. If they do read tables, they do not indicate which column a number refers to and often skip blanks, so a person listening to the text would not indicate what the number meant.
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document?	Sometimes	Tested 8 PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Reader. The navigation keys will read content aloud word by word, but the program truncates some words before they finish. This leaves some confusion about the word.

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	Tested 8 PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Reader. All text, images, tables scale appropriately.

Images

Positioning of Images

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find?	Always	Tested 8 PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Reader. Images/charts/tables were placed primarily placed in top or bottom of a page or on their own page.

Alternative Description

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Never	Did not include information about the image as alt text in any of the pdfs tested. Occasionally the reader could read off the text in the image, but it was usually not helpful or labelled properly.
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Never	Could not find any logos to test. But images do not always have any alt text or if they have it is confusing to reader.
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative?	Never	Rich Images never have appropriate alt text which allows the reader to understand the chart appropriately without difficulty. Often the reader will just read a chart across giving a large stream of numbers without label context.

Tables

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate?	Never	Tables are able to be read across but they do not offer in-text summaries or appropriate heading tags when reading the data.
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers?	Never	Always problematic.

Additional Navigational Aids

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks?	Sometimes	About 40% of the time the bookmarks are available.
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document?	Always	Where available, it is linked correctly.

Video Captions

Question	Answer	Notes	Images
Are videos captioned?	Sometimes	Yes, primarily in English-speaking videos. Often, they do not caption the whole video leaving opening remarks or side comments uncommented when it is obvious someone is talking.
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)?	Always
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video?	Always
Are the captions in sync with spoken words?	Sometimes	Some videos with delayed pauses before speaking areas have caption appearing before they start one word at a time.
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided?	Always	The transcripts do not cover the whole group of people speaking in the videos at times. For instance, they may only cover part of the conversation.
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided?	Never

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?	Never	They will include a "shot" list and often soundbite text.
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents?	Never

Audio Accessibility

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

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