Accessibility and Archive Preservation

Accessibility and Archive Preservation

Completed theses must be published and archived, which places demands on how you create your document.

When submitting your thesis via Canvas, it should be:

  • Accessible
  • Archive-proof

All documents should be accessible to people with writing and reading difficulties, according to the Swedish Law on Accessibility to Digital Public Services (SFS 2018:1937).

Accessibility

To make your document accessible to people with writing and reading difficulties, you need to consider:

  • That screen readers do not read headers and footers.
  • To tag headings with the correct heading levels, such as main heading and subheading.
  • To clearly identify column and row headers in data tables.
  • That all images and figures should have alternative text.

Tips

Most software has support for testing accessibility, and it can be helpful to do so at all stages. For example, both before and after converting your file to PDF/A.

User instructions

Tag headings with the correct heading levels by using style templates. In Word, style templates are found under the Home tab. Choose Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, and so on.

Word has limitations when it comes to creating accessible tables. If your data is best presented in a table, try to keep the table simple. If the table is complex, consider whether you can divide it into several smaller tables with a heading above each table.

To make data tables more accessible to screen readers, it is good to clearly identify column and row headers. Even if there are merged columns or rows with multiple headers for each cell, the screen reader must be explicitly informed of which headers apply to which cells.

To further facilitate accessibility in tables, you can select the header row and then choose Repeat Header Rows under the Layout tab > Data.

All images and figures should have alternative text. To add alternative text, select the Alternative Text button found under the Format tab > Accessibility. Then write a brief description of the image.

To edit the text, you can also select the image or object, right-click, and choose Edit Alternative Text. If the image lacks content of interest to someone who cannot see it, select Mark as Decorative (in PDF this is called Artifacts).

Illustrations and Smart-Art also have the option of adding alternative text. However, these can never be marked as decorative.

Archive Preservation

According to law, government agencies’ public records must be archive-proof. To preserve digital documents indefinitely, the ISO standard PDF/A is used.

Note

It is important not to use the function to print to PDF. This method of creating a PDF file does not preserve the document’s accessibility customization.

The correct method for exporting to PDF depends on which version of Microsoft Office you are using.

When you follow the instructions to create an accessibility-compliant PDF file, you meet the requirements for PDF/A.

Create an accessibility-compliant PDF/A file

Before creating an accessibility-compliant PDF file, you should check accessibility. Select the Check Accessibility button found under the Review tab > Accessibility.

The first step in creating an accessible PDF document from Microsoft Word is to ensure that the original Word document is accessible.

When you export an accessible Word document to a PDF, the goal is to do so in such a way that the accessibility customizations in the Word document are preserved. This includes header structure, alternative text for images, and annotations that highlight the document’s structure.

Note! Do not print to PDF! This method of creating a PDF file does not preserve the document’s accessibility settings.

The correct method for exporting to PDF depends on which version of Microsoft Office you are using.

Go to File and select Save as. Choose the destination for the document and then select PDF from the file format options provided. Choose the Standard (publish online and print) option, which by default creates a PDF file that preserves the document’s accessibility settings.

Click on Options. Under the PDF options header, check the box for ISO 19005-1 compliant (PDF/A), which embeds the fonts into the document.

When saving, select Options and make sure that Show structure tags for accessibility is checked. This option is checked by default but may sometimes become unchecked.

If you choose to minimize the size of the PDF to reduce its file size, be sure to repeat the previous step because this option can inadvertently uncheck the Show structure tags for accessibility selection.

In Office 2016 for Mac, Word can generate a tagged PDF file that preserves a document’s accessibility settings. To use this feature, go to File, select Save as, and choose PDF from the document formats offered. By default, a PDF file is created that preserves the accessibility settings of the Word document. When saving, make sure the Best for electronic distribution and accessibility checkbox is checked. The file is converted to an accessible PDF online by Microsoft.

  • When saving the document from Word, keep the following in mind:
  • Use Save as instead of Save as Adobe PDF. If you do not see the Options button, you have probably selected Save as Adobe PDF.
  • Make sure the Standard (publish online and print) option is selected, which is the best option for preserving the document’s accessibility settings.
  • Check that Headings are listed under Save bookmarks as. If not, it is a sign that the heading format is not being used or is located in tables.
  • Check that Show structure tags for accessibility is checked.
  • If you choose to minimize the size of the PDF to reduce its file size, be sure to repeat the previous step because this option can inadvertently uncheck the Show structure tags for accessibility selection.