Accessibility statement for University of Edinburgh Research Explorer website

Website accessibility statement in line with Public Sector Body (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018

This accessibility statement applies to:

https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/

This website is run by Library and University Collections, Information Services Group at the University of Edinburgh. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this application. For example, that means you should be able to:

  • Customise most of the colours.
  • Magnify the content to 200% without loss of content or text spilling of the edge of the screen.
  • Experience no time limits when using the site.

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

Customising the website

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. This is an external site with suggestions to make your computer more accessible:

AbilityNet - My computer my way

With a few simple steps you can customise the appearance of our website using your browser settings to make it easier to read and navigate:

Additional information on how to customise our website appearance

If you are a member of University staff or a student, you can use the free SensusAccess accessible document conversion service:

Information on SensusAccess

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • There are some areas where the colour contrast could be improved.
  • Objects obscure text when zooming from 300%.
  • There are colour contrast errors with the selection display and selected content.
  • Some touch elements do not have sufficient size and space.
  • Some movement cannot be stopped by user.
  • The focus indicator makes the text of the buttons unreadable
  • Some non-text content does not have alternative text.
  • All links do not necessarily have meaningful hypertext.
  • Some hyperlinks are conveyed in colour only and are not underlined.
  • Some hyperlinks are plain URLs.
  • Some links open in a new tab/window without warning.
  • Some content requires the user to change to arrow keys without warning when navigating by keyboard only.
  • Some part of the keyboard access does not follow a meaningful sequence.
  • Assistive software such as voice recognition and screen readers are not fully compatible with the website.

Feedback and contact information

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

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page, or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact:

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

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 please contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS) directly:

Contact details for the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

The government has produced information on how to report accessibility issues:

Reporting an accessibility problem on a public sector website

Contacting us by phone using British Sign Language

British Sign Language service

Contact Scotland BSL runs a service for British Sign Language users and all of Scotland’s public bodies using video relay. This enables sign language users to contact public bodies and vice versa. The service operates from 8.00am to 12.00am, 7 days a week.

Contact Scotland BSL service details.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

The University of Edinburgh is committed to making its websites and applications 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) 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

The full guidelines are available at:

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Noncompliance with the accessibility regulations.

The following items to not comply with the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria:

  • Some non-text content does not have appropriate alternative text

1.1.1 Non-text Content

  • Some part of the keyboard access does not follow a meaningful sequence

1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence 

  • Some hyperlinks are conveyed with colour only

1.4.1 Use of Color

  • There may not be sufficient colour contrast between font and background colours, especially where the text size is small

1.4.3  Contrast (Minimum)

  • Some movement cannot be stopped by the user

2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide

  • Some links do not contain meaningful hypertext to inform the user of their target location

2.4.4 Link Purpose (in Context)

  • Visual information to identify user interface components, such as keyboard focus, do not always have a sufficient contrast ratio.

2.4.7 Focus Visible

2.4.13 Focus Appearance

  • Some touch elements do not have sufficient size and space

2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)

  • Some links open in a new tab or open pop up without warning

3.2.2 On Input

  • The website is not fully compatible with assistive software as not all ARIA hidden elements are focusable or contain focusable elements

4.1.2 Name-Role-Value

We aim to improve our websites accessibility on a regular and continuous basis. See the section below ('What we're doing to improve accessibility') on how we are improving our site accessibility. 

We are working towards solving these problems and expect significant improvements by October 2026. The site is fully within our control.

Disproportionate burden

We are not currently claiming that any accessibility problems would be a disproportionate burden to fix.

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

At this time we believe no content is outside of the scope of the accessibility regulations.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

We will continue to address and make improvements to the accessibility issues highlighted. Unless specified otherwise, a complete solution or significant improvement will be in place by October 2026.

While we are in the process of resolving these accessibility issues, we will ensure reasonable adjustments are in place to make sure no user is disadvantaged. As changes are made, we will continue to review accessibility and retest the accessibility of this website.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 2nd October 2025. It was last reviewed on 2nd October 2025.

The website was last tested on 30th September 2025. The testing was carried out by Library and University Collections, Information Services Group at the University of Edinburgh using both automated and manual methods. The site was tested on a PC, primarily using Microsoft Edge alongside Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

Recent world-wide usage levels survey for different screen readers and browsers shows that Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge are increasing in popularity and Google Chrome is now the favoured browser for screen readers:

WebAIM: Screen Reader User Survey

The aforementioned three browsers have been used in certain questions for reasons of breadth and variety.

We ran automated testing using AXE and then manual testing that included:

  • Spell check functionality;
  • Scaling using different resolutions and reflow;
  • Options to customise the interface (magnification, font, background colour, etc);
  • Keyboard navigation and keyboard traps;
  • Data validation;
  • Warning of links opening in new tab or window;
  • Information conveyed in the colour or sound only;
  • Flashing, moving or scrolling text;
  • Operability if JavaScript is disabled;
  • Use with screen reading software (for example JAWS);
  • Assistive software (TextHelp Read and Write, Windows Magnifier, ZoomText, Dragon Naturally Speaking, TalkBack and VoiceOver);
  • Tooltips and text alternatives for any non-text content;
  • Time limits;
  • Compatibility with mobile accessibility functionality (Android and iOS).
  • Any drag functionality and alternatives
  • Consistent help function
  • No need to re enter data already submitted
  • Any cognitive tests 

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