plos.org Accessibility Report

Accessibility audit of plos.org — scanned on Feb 21, 2026

Technology
0 /100
B Good

2 issues found across 1 categories

2 Major

WCAG Compliance Overview

Perceivable 1 issues
Operable 1 issues
Understandable 0 issues
Robust 0 issues

Issues Found

Heading levels skip order

Major

Headings should follow a logical order (h1 → h2 → h3) without skipping levels.

WCAG 1.3.1
1 element(s) affected
  • <h3> "PLOS is a non-profit organization on a mission to " (after h1)
How to fix

Restructure headings to follow sequential order. Don't skip from h1 to h3.

Generic link text

Major

Links must have descriptive text that indicates their purpose. Generic text like 'click here' or 'read more' does not help screen reader users understand where the link goes.

WCAG 2.4.4
1 element(s) affected
  • <a href="https://plos.org/open-science/">read more</a>
How to fix

Replace generic link text with descriptive text, e.g., 'Read our accessibility guide' instead of 'Read more'.

Top Priority Fixes

Here are the most impactful changes plos.org should make to improve accessibility:

  1. #1
    Heading levels skip order Major

    Restructure headings to follow sequential order. Don't skip from h1 to h3.

  2. #2
    Generic link text Major

    Replace generic link text with descriptive text, e.g., 'Read our accessibility guide' instead of 'Read more'.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is plos.org accessible?

plos.org scored 84/100 (grade B) on our accessibility audit. This score reflects automated checks against WCAG 2.1 Level AA criteria.

Is plos.org WCAG compliant?

Our scan found 2 accessibility issues on plos.org. Full WCAG compliance requires addressing all critical and major issues identified above.

Is plos.org EAA compliant?

The European Accessibility Act requires websites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. Check the detailed report above to see plos.org's compliance status.

What accessibility issues does plos.org have?

See the full issue list above with severity levels, affected elements, and recommended fixes for plos.org.

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