Accessibility statement

Scope of this accessibility statement

This statement applies to the Emerald Group Publishing website (this site), and provides an overview of the accessibility of Emerald content and platforms.

We have also included a summary statement here that refers to Emerald Insight; however, there is a separate detailed standalone statement for that platform, and a VPAT is available upon request using the contact details there.

Embedding accessibility: Emerald’s approach

Emerald aims to ensure that accessibility is at the heart of our publishing programme, by subscribing to 5 core principles.

1. Development

All features and functionality related to our content and platforms are developed in line with WCAG 2.1 and WAI-ARIA 1.1 guidelines. These are based on relevant international accessibility guidelines. Where possible our approaches to meeting accessibility guidelines have been validated through testing with relevant user groups.

2. Testing

All features and functionality for our content and platforms are tested by our internal testing team before being deployed on the live site. Automated and manual testing is conducted to ensure new features and functionality conform to accessibility guidelines.

3. Review

Accessibility audits of our content and platforms are conducted periodically to ensure they conform to international accessibility guidelines. Any issues discovered are assessed and prioritised accordingly in our accessibility roadmap.

4. Feedback

Feedback is welcomed from users to notify us of any accessibility bugs they find or any aspects of the site that they found particularly useful. Your feedback helps us to improve our products; please contact us using the form below. For more contact options, please see our Contact us page for different ways to talk to us.

5. Transparency

We aim to be open and honest about what is not working well on our platform and what needs to be improved. We aim to resolve known issues as quickly as possible.

The Emerald Publishing website (this site)

It's our policy to make reasonable adjustments in order that all web-based information, services, and learning resources on our websites are accessible to all our users.

For content on this website, we aim to follow W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). W3C is the governing authority on web development standards and practices, and defines three accessibility levels in increasing levels of accessibility compliance: A, AA, and AAA.

We aim to make all public web pages meet level AA where possible, and have been implementing content measures to support this goal, including:

• the provision of screen-readable copy alternatives in the case of infographics and podcasts
• voiceovers on animated videos
• a focus on contrast levels where text appears over hero images
• removal of alt text where no relevant information is included in the image
• avoidance of repeated instances of 'read more' and 'find out more' anchor text
• making PDF content available as HTML
• minimisation of moving carousels and animations
• content presentation that conforms to best practice and our digital standards

Please be aware that due to the large number of pages contained in this website, there may be some instances where pages do not conform to all the WCAG AA standard yet. To address this, we've set out a roadmap for accessibility. If you've any questions about accessibility on this website, you can use the form below to let us know, and we'll get back to you.
 

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The Emerald Insight platform

When accessing our book and journal content via the Emerald Insight platform, please note the following accessibility features.

Recommended browser

Google Chrome.

Keyboard navigation

The TAB key can be used to navigate through links within the site menu and the main text of each page. Once a link has been highlighted, use the ENTER key to activate the link.

Logical tab order & page layout

We've built pages so that it's easier to tab through the links – the content area is reached immediately after the header, making it easier to move around within a site.

Changing the text size

Most browsers will allow you to change the font size. Guidance on making text size larger can be found on Abilitynet’s My Computer My Way page. Alternatively, see the 'help' section in your browser for more details on customisation.

Skip to main content link

We've positioned skip to main content link at the top of the page so that you can quickly navigate to the most important sections of the page.

Alternative content

For visitors using screen reader or speech browser software, we've provided sensible alternative text for images where this alternative text will aid your understanding of the web page.

Headers

Our pages use structured headers to aid legibility. The first header on the page is the main content header followed by any appropriate sub-headers.

Tables

We are no longer using tables, except for the display of tabular data. For users of screen readers and speech browsers, we associate headers with their respective rows and columns to aid legibility.

Forms

Forms now have their labels explicitly associated with their controls, aiding users of certain screen readers and speech browsers.

Images

Most images/figures in our content have alternative text. However, the quality of the alternative text varies. Images/figures in older content (pre-2000) may not have alternative text.

Text to speech

Emerald Insight has been tested with users using Read&Write literacy software.

Magnification & reflow

Except for captions and images of text, text can be resized without assistive technology up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality.

Depending on your screen size and resolution, most content can be magnified up to 400% without spilling off the edge of the screen.

Content types & formats

The eBook and journal content on Emerald Insight is available in multiple formats, including HTML, EPub, and PDF. Please visit our dedicated accessibility statement for our Emerald Insight platform for detailed information about content types, formats, and available reading options.

Testing

We test and audit our content and platforms using the following assistive technologies:

1. NVDA Screen Reader.
2. Various High Contrast Chrome Plugins.
3. ZoomText.
4. WAVE.
5. Lighthouse Automation Tool.

Digital rights management

Emerald does not apply DRM tools on content hosted on Emerald Insight. However, we do not have any control over third party DRM application. For details on permitted uses of the content please see our Terms and Conditions of use page or contact our Rights Team.

Alternative book content

Our platform currently offers most books content in EPub, HTML and PDF formats. However, Emerald Publishing is committed to ensuring that our content reaches as wide an audience as possible. Wherever possible we will endeavour to provide alternative electronic copies of content to those unable to access and enjoy the print or eBook versions due to their visual, hearing, cognitive, or motor impairments. If you are a student with accessibility needs and your institutional library owns or is renting the print or eBook version of a title, we will provide a free copy of the book in PDF or EPub format. 

Accessibility schemes

Emerald provides accessible files to the following organisations to support the dissemination of our content to all readers.

RNIB Bookshare scheme

In the UK, all Emerald books are available in accessible formats via The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Bookshare.  This service provides students with accessibility needs within UK institutions with the same educational opportunities as their peers. Please contact the Bookshare programme with any accessibility requests if you are based in the UK. 

AccessText Network

If you are in the US or Canada the Access Text network service is currently being reviewed. If you have any queries please contact us via our accessibility request form.

For requests from outside the UK and North America, please contact us via our accessibility request form where you will find full terms and conditions setting out who can request alternative book content and how it may be used.  We will endeavour to reply to all enquiries within two working days.
 

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Our roadmap for the Emerald publishing website (this site)

We have a separate roadmap for our Emerald Insight platform. Please see the Emerald Insight roadmap here.

Action	Timeline
RNIB audit of this website, and ongoing accessibility updates	The RNIB second audit has taken place and we have passed on the majority of WCAG requirements. We now have a solution to accessible accordions, and are using on new pages. We also have an accessible solution to layout tables, and are using this code on new content. We will update older content as and when we come across it on the site, or in response to a user request.
An Aspire audit of our accessibility information	We have scored a gold-rated 100% following the addition of T&C for alternative eBook formats.
Align our accessibility roadmap with our commitment to the SDG Publishers Compact (and the UN Sustainable Development Goals)	This step has been actioned; all dependent activities are ongoing.
Create guidelines for inclusive writing, and maintain content standards that prescribe how we create accessible content	This is work in progress. We have just incorporated contrast checks into our process for PDF creation. The standard for inclusive writing is in final draft now. The Design team will be undertaking training in accessibility.
Align all our content and features to our digital standards, to ensure a consistent and user-focused experience	We have defined a manifesto for usability, accessibility and inclusivity, which launched in Q2 2023.  The standards are complete, and being used by the web team. We have communicated them across the business and they are available on our Intranet.
Make all our sales collateral (PDFs) more accessible, and provide a way to request different formats where necessary	Started Q3 2022 and ongoing
Check and update this content on a monthly basis	Ongoing.