Assessment Report

Assessment Information

eResource Title Vendor Overall Grade
Food Science Source EBSCO B-

Assessment for Food Science Source by St. Lawrence - Module 1: Interface Appearance | Status: Complete | Grade: A-

Images

Positioning of Images
Question Answer Notes Images
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find? Sometimes Images are institutional logo in the top-left corner, and a sprite for the type of resource in the results list. The sprite is loaded from a sheet, https://if.ebsco-content.com/interfacefiles/18.609.0.851/PubTypes/PT_Sprite.png, somewhere. It is just decoration I think.
Functional images embedded in the background
Question Answer Notes Images
Are there functional images embedded in the background? Never All of the images are for decoration or used to enhance a clickable text link.
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
Alt Text
Question Answer Notes Images
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Always
Do functional images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Always
Do images used as text contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Sometimes Just the institutional logo, but instead of the school name it says "New Search" as the alt-text. Some publishers logos say the business name.

Content Scaling

Question Answer Notes Images
When zoomed in at 200%, is text intact, readable, and not cut off? Always
Are images clear and unpixelated at 200%? Always
Is horizontal scrolling minimized at 200%? Always

Colour and Contrast

Question Answer Notes Images
Do text and images have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1? Always

Colour

Question Answer Notes Images
Do colour coded graphs have text equivalents? Not Applicable
Are blocks of content separated from one another using visual separation (such as whitespace or borders)? Always
Are text alternatives provided where colour is used to indicate an action? Not Applicable

Text to speech

Question Answer Notes Images
Is there a choice embedded within the database that offers text to speech or read aloud options? Sometimes In results that have the article embedded right into them (HTML) there is a TTS and/or read-aloud option. PDFs don't have either of these options, they would have to be downloaded first.

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? Always
Using your mouse to test links, are links and buttons far enough apart for users to accurately activate? Always
Using any method to test links, are all links and buttons functional (i.e., not dead)? Always
Are links or buttons accessible via keyboard navigation? Always

Dynamic content

Question Answer Notes Images
Can users pause carousel movement? Not Applicable
Is all functionality, including navigating between carousel items, operable by keyboard? Not Applicable

Liquid layout

Question Answer Notes Images
Is the order of the text preserved at all screen resolutions, without overlap? Always
Do images avoid overlapping at all screen resolutions? Always
Is the overall reading experience preserved at all screen resolutions? Always

Assessment for Food Science Source by St. Lawrence - Module 2: Interface Navigation | Status: Complete | Grade: A-

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 The fields that are actual input are fine, but both the quick view of the abstract and the add to folder icons are considered input and they don't have clear instructions. They have a hidden label that says "Add to Folder" or "Display Detail" but is also has a "too many labels" error.
Do user input fields contain labels in addition to overall instructions mentioned above? Sometimes Most all the labels are fine, but a few elements have a "too many labels" error or the label is broken.
Are descriptions for fields and boxes easy to understand? Always
Are labels placed above the user input fields and clearly associated with each field? Always
Are text cues for coloured form control labels available? Not Applicable
Are other visual indicators provided consistently, such as an asterisk for required form fields? Not Applicable

Error Prevention

Question Answer Notes Images
Are user input fields either reversible, checked, or confirmed? One of the three is acceptable. Always

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? Sometimes Incorrect spelling is not highlighted or offered to be fixed in search fields. Sometimes a "Did you mean" may pop up below the search but not always.
Do alert messages clearly indicate the field in which the error has occurred and a description of the error and the fix? Sometimes Sign up screen is good for error correction.
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? Sometimes Sign up form doesn't let you confirm your submission.
Do error reports follow a logical reading and navigation order? Always Error reports are below each input.

Search function spell-check

Question Answer Notes Images
When a user spells a word incorrectly, does the search function offer spelling suggestions or synonyms? Sometimes It is not consistent.

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
Can the purpose of each link be determined from the link text alone? Sometimes Clickable text links within the item records require reading a text descriptor to the left of them.

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? Always
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? Not Applicable
Does the database avoid launching pages in a new browser window with the usual browser controls missing? Always

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? Always
Does the main navigation and drop-downs contain a reasonable number of menu items? Always
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? Always

Assessment for Food Science Source by St. Lawrence - Module 3: Interface Structure | Status: Complete | Grade: A-

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? Always

Keyboard Navigation

Question Answer Notes Images
Can keyboard focus be moved to all page elements? Sometimes Trouble with navigating to the "Refine Results" column.
If moving keyboard focus away from a component requires more than arrow or tab keys, is this clearly indicated on the page? Never While tabbing, there is an Accessibility Information and Tips widget that slides in, to click on and read, but other than that no.
Is default keyboard navigation order logical and intuitive, following the visual flow of the page as described above? Always
When using a keyboard to navigate the interface, is the keyboard focus indicator visible? Always Blue highlight around an element.
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? Sometimes Invisible unless tabbed onto.
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? Always
Do anchors (link destinations) appear at the beginning of the relevant content? Never
Do skip navigation controls appear in the same place on every page? Always

Tables

Question Answer Notes Images
Does the reader capture accurate information as it appears in the table and the columns and rows? Not Applicable I have not been successful in getting my screen reader to work.

Frames

Question Answer Notes Images
Does the screen reader successfully navigate from one frame to another? Not Applicable I have not been successful in getting my screen reader to work.
Does each frame have a meaningful title that tells the user the purpose of the frame? Not Applicable I have not been successful in getting my screen reader to work.
When navigating the page using keyboard navigation, is the user able to navigate effectively from one frame to the next? Always

Assessment for Food Science Source by St. Lawrence - Module 4: Content | Status: Complete | Grade: F

PDFs

Searchable PDFs
Question Answer Notes Images
Are the sampled PDFs image-only? Never
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)? Never
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable? Always
Tagged PDFs
Question Answer Notes Images
Are alternative descriptions provided? Never
Is primary language specified? Never
Is reliable character encoding provided? Always
Are all page elements tagged? Never
Are list and table structure correct? Never

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? Always It there are things in the left or right margins, it will read them first.
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”? Never
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? Never
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Never
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? Never

Tables

Question Answer Notes Images
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate? Never
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers? Not Applicable

Additional Navigational Aids

Question Answer Notes Images
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks? Never
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document? Not Applicable

Video Captions

Question Answer Notes Images
Are videos captioned? Not Applicable
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive? Not Applicable
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)? Not Applicable
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video? Not Applicable
Are the captions in sync with spoken words? Not Applicable
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided? Not Applicable
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided? Not Applicable

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? Not Applicable
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents? Not Applicable

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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