Guide to Accessible Formatting

Creating Accessible Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Ensuring your electronic thesis, dissertation, or project (ETD) is accessible guarantees that readers of all abilities—including those who rely on screen readers, screen magnifiers, or keyboard navigation—can engage with your research. Follow the standards and steps below to make your document fully ADA compliant before final submission.

Institutional Accessibility Requirement

All graduate documents submitted to ProQuest ETD and UA ScholarWorks must meet federal accessibility standards (ADA Title II & WCAG 2.1 AA). Incorporating accessibility into your document early in the drafting phase will save significant time during the final formatting review loop.

Get Accessibility Support

Official Thesis & Dissertation Templates

Access our full library of accessible Word, LaTeX, and software-specific templates pre-configured to meet institutional formatting standards.

Core Standards

Key Accessibility Rules

Key standards required for figures, headings, tables, and color choices.

Structure & Headings

Screen readers build an internal outline using heading levels. Never skip levels (e.g., jumping from Heading 1 directly to Heading 3). Always use the built-in Heading Styles provided in the templates rather than manually resizing or formatting text. To support ADA accessibility compliance, students must also use the native Microsoft Word / Google Doc Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables features provided in the templates. Do not manually create these elements, as they must be generated using built-in tools to preserve proper structure and accessibility.

Rule: Use sequential tags (Heading 1 → Heading 2 → Heading 3).

Alternative Text (Alt Text)

Every image, chart, photo, or map must include concise alternative text describing its core informational takeaway. Mark purely decorative graphical elements (such as divider lines) as "Decorative".

Rule: Right-click image → View Alt Text to add descriptions.

Accessible Data Tables

Tables must be reserved for structural data, never layout alignment. Specify a designated Header Row, repeat header rows across page splits, and avoid nested or merged cells whenever possible.

Rule: Check "Repeat Header Rows" in Table Properties.

Descriptive Links & Contrast

Avoid generic text like "Click Here" or long raw URLs. Use meaningful link text describing the destination. Text and background colors must achieve a minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio.

Rule: Do not rely on color alone to convey crucial meaning or status.
Step-by-Step

Software Workflows

Instructions for Microsoft Word, Overleaf (LaTeX), and Foxit PDF Editor Pro.

Microsoft Word

  1. Go to  Review > Check Accessibility.
  2. Look through flagged isues in the Accessibility Assistant panel on right
  3. Ignore contrast issues with copyright page & missing table headers for equations.
  4. Export via Save As PDF. Click more options, then options and make sure "Document structure tags" is enabled and "Document showing markup" is disabled.

LaTeX / Overleaf

  1. Include the \usepackage{accessibility} or axessibility package.
  2. Provide clear \caption{} and alt descriptions for code blocks and math expressions.
  3. Ensure structural tags remain unbroken when compiling to PDF format.
Note: This option is not staff-supported. We recommend running Overleaf PDFs through Foxit Accessibility Check.

Foxit PDF Editor Pro

  1. Open PDF and select Accessibility > Full Check > Start Checking
  2. Right-click rules with "?" (Needs manual check) or failed rules to get explanation, to skip, pass, fail, check again etc.
  3. Make sure to fix issues in your source doc not the PDF if you don't want to keep addressing the issue.
Verification

Submission Checklist

Verify these structural items prior to final ProQuest or JotForm upload.

Before submitting your final document, complete this final compliance check to prevent rejections or revision requests from the Graduate School formatting editors:

Final Student Pre-Flight Checklist

  • Sequential Headings: All headings follow an uninterrupted hierarchical structure (Heading 1 → Heading 2 → Heading 3).
  • Image Alt Text: Every visual figure, chart, map, or photo contains descriptive alt text or is marked decorative.
  • Table Header Rows: Tables feature designated header rows with clear labels and contain no nested or split cells.
  • Hyperlinks: All URLs are embedded under clear, descriptive hyperlink text rather than raw URL strings.
  • Document Language & Title: Document language is assigned and Title property is un-hidden in Foxit Document Properties.
  • PDF Tagging & Reading Order: The final exported PDF contains a complete Tag Tree and correct reading order checked in Foxit.

Need Accessibility Assistance?

If you hit an accessibility error you cannot resolve or need assistance setting up tags in Foxit PDF Editor, reach out to our campus resources:

Writing Center & Formatting Help Book a 1-on-1 consultation to walk through built-in software accessibility checkers and structural fixes. Schedule Session →
Digital Accessibility Office Get technical assistance with complex figures, equations, screen reader compatibility, and Foxit PDF tagging. Digital Accessibility Resources →