eLibrary

Introduction

All researchers, regardless of ability, need access to scholarly information. ProQuest is committed to providing all our users with a fully accessible experience for research, teaching and learning.

At ProQuest, we make every effort to ensure that our platforms – including the Guided Research Platform – can be used by everyone. the Guided Research Platform is continually designed and developed to meet Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act for features and functions.

Please note that the Guided Research Platform is home to three products: eLibrary, SIRS Issues Researcher, and SIRS Discoverer. Unless otherwise noted individually, all three products share the same accessibility features.

Accessibility features and gaps

Users of the Guided Research Platform should be able to:

• Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard or screen reader.
• Listen to most articles on the website using a text-to-speech feature.
• Go directly to main content areas on the page using skip links.
• Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
• Zoom in up to 400% using browser tools without text spilling off screen.

There may be some parts of this website that are not fully accessible:

• A small percentage of content in eLibrary is video. These videos do not have captions.
• Some PDFs are made from scanned images and do not have text alternatives.

If you have a disability and need to make your computer, tablet or other device easier to use, AbilityNet is a recommended resource. We also recommend browsing free add-ons offered for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Technical information about this site’s accessibility

ProQuest is committed to making ProQuest Congressional accessible, in accordance with:

• Level A and Level AA of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1)
• Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act for features and functions.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance level and report

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines v2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Access the full Accessibility Conformance Report (VPAT 2.4 and WCAG) for the Guided Research Platform.

Accessibility of this platform

Responsive design

The Guided Research Platform is built to be responsive, meaning that regardless of the device you are using or the zoom level set in your browser, interface elements and content will reflow. This means that text will be legible, controls will be usable, and content will not require scrolling in multiple directions. Note that content in PDF format does not reflow due to the nature of PDF formatting, so we recommend the default HTML view if you use features like zoom.

Keyboard and screen reader use and navigation

The Guided Research Platform was designed with keyboard and screen reader access in mind. You should be able to search, navigate to documents, read them, and save them using just a keyboard or screen reader.

There are a few areas that may cause difficulty for keyboard and screen reader users. While nearly all content is in accessible HTML format, a very small percentage of older content is only available in scanned image PDF format. This content is not legible with screen readers.

Text to speech

For every HTML-based document, which comprises the vast majority of content, you will find a “Listen” button near the top of the page. Activating this button will display a text-to-speech widget in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Keyboard focus will move to this widget and the document will be read with a synthesized voice. Using the widget’s controls, you can play or pause the speech, control the volume, playback speed, download an mp3 version of the audio, and close the player.

Note that if you would like to have only a portion of the article read aloud, select the text with the mouse and click the “Listen to selection” tooltip that appears. To select text with a keyboard, turn on caret browsing in your web browsers (usually with F7 key), and then use the tab key until the “Listen to selection” tooltip is highlighted.

Speech recognition

The Guided Research Platform is designed for navigation with speech recognition software.

• One area that may not be clear related to the Lexile Score input boxes on the Advanced Search page, as there is no visual indication of what the accessible names might be. The accessible names to access these input boxes with voice commands are “Lexile Score Minimum” and “Lexile Score Maximum.”

Accessibility testing

The accessibility of the Guided Research Platform is a continual effort at ProQuest. Accessibility standards are built into our design, and style guides and included as part of requirements in our software development and quality assurance pipeline.

The Guided Research Platform code is checked for accessibility using a range of automated and manual checks including but not limited to:

• Color Contrast Analyzer provided by WebAIM
• Deque aXe accessibility testing tool
• High Contrast Chrome extension
• Keyboard-access manual testing and assessment
• WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation tool) provided by WebAIM
• NVDA with Windows
• VoiceOver with Mac

The Guided Research Platform is tested on the latest versions of Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Edge, and on devices including Mac and Windows computers, and Android and iOS devices.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Making content accessible is an ongoing effort at ProQuest. We’re committed to working with the community to ensure we continue to meet our customers’ needs. A list of our ongoing efforts include:

• The ProQuest Accessibility Council: a team of stakeholders working to increase accessibility resources and capabilities
• Pursuing partnerships with colleges, universities and other institutions to assist us in reviewing and updating our accessibility standards
• Supporting certifications for our employees
• Consulting with accessibility experts such as Deque

Support and feedback

If you have difficulty accessing specific ProQuest content or features with adaptive technology after trying the workarounds suggested in this statement, you can contact us using the links provided below. Our support services will respond within three days and are available to accommodate the communication needs of end users with disabilities. We will work with you to identify the best option for remediation, subject to content licensing restrictions and technical capability.

For book content, your institution may have access to Bookshare (International), AccessText (U.S., U.S. Territories, & Canada), or RNIB Bookshare (UK), all of which provide accessible book files to patrons with disabilities and organizations that serve them.

Online: Submit a support case
Chat with support
Phone:
United States & Canada (toll free):
+1 800 889 3358
Outside North America:
+800 4997 4111 or +1 734-707-2513

ProQuest Technical Support is staffed 365 days a year. We offer round-the-clock coverage from Monday 01:00 to Saturday 01:00 UTC. On Saturday and Sunday, hours are 15:00 to 19:00 UTC.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This accessibility statement was prepared in June 2020.  It was last reviewed in February 2025.
This website is continually tested for accessibility as part of the development process. The last full, external audit that we commissioned was done in July 2023. The test was carried out by Deque Systems Inc. In February 2024 we carried out an internal audit against the new WCAG 2.2 rules. We have focused on addressing the issues raised by both audits since then, and follow-up audits can be expected during 2025.

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