Accessibility of theses and online publications

On this page, we will show you how you can ensure the accessibility of your Word document and produce an accessible PDF file from it for the JYX publication archive. The instructions are suitable for ensuring the accessibility of other Word files as well.

Accessibility is required by the Act on the Provision of Digital Services, which applies to the online content and services produced also by universities. The law applies to public digital documents produced also by students, thus including bachelor's, master’s and doctoral theses.

This page provides instructions and resources for producing accessible theses and other online publications (i.e. university or departmental series).

Theses, publications, and departmental publication series produced at JYU must be accessible so that they are equally available to all readers, regardless of possible disabilities or functional limitations. Taking accessibility into account is a basic skill expected of members of our university community, and it is also an important professional competency.

By making your thesis and publications accessible, you comply with legal requirements and ensure that everyone can read your work, including people with visual impairments. Thesis templates already incorporate many accessibility requirements, such as styles. Please use a template if one is available in your discipline. Please note that LaTeX is not as accessible.

The basics of accessibility

Accessibility means that your thesis or other online publication can be read by those who use reading aids, such as screen readers.

In an accessible Word file

there is a clear structure, i. e. the headings, subheadings, paragraphs and lists are created using the styles in order to create an accessible document. Styles contain information about the document structure and also convey that information to readers who use assistive devices. Therefore, manually changing e.g. the size or the color of the font does not make the file accessible.
the font is large enough (minimum 12 pt).
the tables, figures and pictures contain an alternative text which explains the information included in it to someone who is not able to see it.
the tables are created using the Insert Table command in Word or Excel. Also, please use header rows in the tables.
the document language is set in document settings.
a title for the document is provided in the file properties.
a descriptive name for the file is provided.
the accessibility has been inspected using the MS Word's Check Accessibility function.

If you´re not using MS Word, you might find these instructions helpful:
Accessibility for Docs editors
Accessibility for LaTex

The layout of a Word document must be defined by styles in order to create an accessible document. Styles contain information about the document structure to readers who use assistive devices. Thus, simply editing the appearance of the fonts does not make the file accessible. You need to choose the styles on Word's Home tab. Also, make sure that you use descriptive headings, i.e. make sure that the reader can get an overall idea of the document content just by reading the headings.

Mark the headings of the chapters with the style Heading, the subheadings of the next level with the style Heading 2, etc. Choose the Normal style for the rest of the text.

If you want the font to look different, you need to edit the styles.

Do not directly modify the appearance of the font.
If you wish to emphasise some part of your text, please use bold text rather than italics.
Not all readers distinguish colors. Essential information should therefore not be conveyed using different font colors.

Accessibility in images, figures and tables

Add images to the Word file using the Insert- Pictures function. Do not import them via the clipboard or by dragging. The image file formats that are best preserved in the PDF conversion are jpg and png.

At the same way, create your tables using the Insert - Table command in Word. Do not paste images made out of tables. Also, keep your tables simple.

To add a table with a header row

Go to the Insert tab. Click on Table and create your table.
Insert the information into the table cells.
Once you have filled your table, move the cursor to the top row of the table.
On the Table Tools tab, select Design. Make sure that the header Row has been selected (on the left side of the screen).
Move to the Layout section on the Table Tools tab.
Select Repeat Header Rows. This way the header row will be repeated if the table continues to the next page.

According to accessibility requirements, a corresponding text must be provided for images and tables. In Word documents, this is called alt text.

Alt text explains the essential content and meaning of the image or table for readers who cannot see it. Alt text is not the same as a caption, but sometimes the caption is enough.

Also, if the content is described in the text, you can leave the alt text empty. However, it is important to take into account the location of the image or table in relation to the text in which its content is explained. If the text is just before or after the image or table, the alt text can be empty. However, if the image or table is placed on a different page than the text about it, you should give a short alt text that tells you where the content of the image or table is given. For example, the alt text could be the following: "The content of table 1 is explained on the previous page.

To to add alt text in the latest Word versions, move the cursor over the image or table and right-click on it. Open the Alt Text window by clicking on Edit Alt Text. Write a short description of the essential content of the image in the white field. End your text with a full stop.

Document title

Save your document with a clear file name to your computer. A good name is one that clearly indicates the content of the document. Typically, using for example the main title of a thesis is a good choice for the file name.

Also, In Word's file settings you should give your document a title which describes its content. A clear title is one that tells you what the document is about. Usually, the main title of the thesis is enough.

Open the File menu, click on Info and move to the right to find the Properties.
Add a descriptive title to Title field (or Add title). If the document already has a title, you can edit it.

Checking the accessibility of your publication

When you have finished your document, you can check its accessibility by using the automatic checking function in Word. If necessary, first save the document in the docx format.

Open the File/Review tab.
Open the Check for issues menu.
Select Check Accessibility.

Converting your Word file into a PDF/A file

Once you have created an accessible Word document according to the instructions above, you can convert your document to an accessible PDF/A file.

Convert a Word document into PDF as follows:

Select the File tab.
Select Export. Then select Create PDF or XPS Document.
Click on Create PDF/XPS.
In the window that opens, determine the folder in which the file is saved. Give a file name that describes the content of the document.
Before clicking Publish, see Options.
Select both Document structure tags for accessibility and Document properties.
Select Create bookmarks using Headings.
Select PDF/A compliant.
Click OK and then Publish.

If you are using a Mac computer:

It is not possible to create a PDF/A file directly using Word for Mac, but the conversion can be done with the help of the Mac Preview application.

In Word, go to the File menu and select File > Print, then click the PDF button in the print dialog. From the dropdown menu, choose Open in Preview
The Preview application will open. From the File menu in Preview, select Export.
Choose the location where you want to save the file. Check the option Create PDF/A.
Click Save. The PDF/A file will be saved to the selected location.

Publishing your thesis

To publish your approved thesis in JYX, you will need a valid university network username. Your thesis must be submitted as a single file in accessible PDF/A format.

If you submit your thesis through the electronic examination system Vasara, it will be automatically deposited into JYX, eliminating the need for separate submission. Currently, Vasara submission is available for the School of Business and Economics, the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and the Faculty of Information Technology.

Accessibility of theses and online publications

Table of contents

The basics of accessibility

Accessible Word file

Creating an accessible document by using the styles

Accessibility in images, figures and tables

Designing accessible figures and tables

Creating an alternative text for images and tables

Document title

Checking the accessibility of your publication

Converting your Word file into a PDF/A file

Publishing your thesis