Accessibility Conformance Report
Scite Accessibility Conformance Report — WCAG Edition (Based on VPAT® Version 2.5Rev).
Scite is an AI-powered research platform that helps researchers find and evaluate scientific literature. Core features include Smart Citations (classifying citations as supporting, contrasting, or mentioning), full-text citation search, an AI research assistant, journal and author profiles, citation dashboards, and reference management tools. Scite is delivered as a web application accessible via browser.
Scope
This report covers the scite.ai web platform, including search, paper reports, author and affiliation profiles, citation dashboards, the research assistant, the badge tools, and account management.
Evaluation Methods Used
This report reflects evaluation through the following methods:
- Automated testing — Continuous scanning with axe-core and HTML_CodeSniffer (via pa11y), integrated into the CI/CD pipeline and run on every deployment across core user flows (search, paper reports, author and affiliation profiles, dashboards, and account management). Scans are evaluated against WCAG 2.1 and 2.2, Levels A and AA.
- Manual testing — Accessibility testing by Clemson University’s CCIT Accessibility team across two 2023 engagements (71 issues, A11Y-1347 through A11Y-1478), covering keyboard-only navigation, screen reader compatibility (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), focus management, color contrast, and modal dialog patterns.
- Engineering review — Accessibility-focused code review of markup, ARIA usage, and keyboard interaction as part of the development process.
Applicable Standards / Guidelines
| Standard / Guideline | Included in Report |
|---|---|
| Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 | Level A (Yes), Level AA (Yes), Level AAA (No) |
| Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 | Level A (Yes), Level AA (Yes), Level AAA (No) |
Terms
The terms used in the Conformance Level information are defined as follows:
- Supports — The functionality of the product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects, or meets with equivalent facilitation.
- Partially Supports — Some functionality of the product does not meet the criterion.
- Does Not Support — The majority of product functionality does not meet the criterion.
- Not Applicable — The criterion is not relevant to the product.
- Not Evaluated — The product has not been evaluated against the criterion.
Table 1: Success Criteria, Level A
| Criteria | Conformance Level | Remarks and Explanations |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | Supports | Informative images provide text alternatives; decorative images are hidden from assistive technology. |
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | No pre-recorded audio-only or video-only media. |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | No pre-recorded synchronized media. |
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | No pre-recorded synchronized media. |
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | Supports | Structure is conveyed with semantic markup and correctly nested headings across the platform. |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | Supports | Reading and focus order follow a meaningful sequence. |
| 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | Supports | Instructions do not rely solely on sensory characteristics. |
| 1.4.1 Use of Color | Supports | Smart Citation classifications (supporting / mentioning / contrasting) are conveyed with type icons and numeric counts in addition to color. |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | Not Applicable | No auto-playing audio. |
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | Supports | Interactive controls, modals, filters and sliders are keyboard operable (Clemson findings A11Y-1421 / -1431 / -1466 / -1468 remediated). |
| 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap | Supports | Focus can always move away from a component via the keyboard. |
| 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts | Supports | No single-character key shortcuts that cannot be turned off or remapped. |
| 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable | Supports | No time limits on content. |
| 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide | Supports | No moving, blinking or auto-updating content that requires a control. |
| 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold | Supports | No content flashes more than three times per second. |
| 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | Supports | A skip-to-main-content mechanism is provided (Clemson A11Y-1361 remediated). |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | Supports | Pages have descriptive, unique titles. |
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | Supports | Focus order is logical; modal focus management remediated (Clemson A11Y-1431). |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | Supports | Link purpose is clear from text or context; ambiguous and empty links remediated. |
| 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | Supports | No multipoint or path-based gestures are required. |
| 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation | Supports | Actions complete on the up-event; no down-event activation. |
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | Supports | Accessible names contain the visible label text. The HorizontalTally citation badge and other affected controls were remediated in 2026 (verified by automated scan). |
| 2.5.4 Motion Actuation | Not Applicable | No motion-actuated functionality. |
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | Supports | The page language is set programmatically. |
| 3.2.1 On Focus | Supports | Focus does not trigger an unexpected change of context. |
| 3.2.2 On Input | Supports | Changing a setting does not automatically cause an unexpected change of context. |
| 3.2.6 Consistent Help | Supports | Help and contact mechanisms appear in a consistent location. |
| 3.3.1 Error Identification | Supports | Input errors are identified and described in text. |
| 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions | Supports | Form controls have programmatic labels; previously unlabeled fields and comboboxes were remediated in 2026. |
| 3.3.7 Redundant Entry | Supports | Previously entered information is auto-populated or available for selection. |
| 4.1.1 Parsing (Obsolete and removed in WCAG 2.2) | Supports | Always satisfied per the September 2023 WCAG 2.0/2.1 errata; the success criterion was removed in WCAG 2.2. |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | Supports | Custom controls expose correct name, role and value; unnamed buttons and role="button" elements were remediated in 2026. |
Table 2: Success Criteria, Level AA
| Criteria | Conformance Level | Remarks and Explanations |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2.4 Captions (Live) | Not Applicable | No live synchronized media. |
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) | Not Applicable | No pre-recorded synchronized media. |
| 1.3.4 Orientation | Supports | Content is not restricted to a single display orientation. |
| 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose | Supports | Input fields collecting user information use appropriate autocomplete tokens. |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | Supports | Text meets the 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text) minimum ratio across the platform following the 2026 contrast remediation. |
| 1.4.4 Resize Text | Supports | Text can be resized up to 200% without loss of content or function. |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | Supports | Text is rendered as text; images of text are limited to logos. |
| 1.4.10 Reflow | Partially Supports | Content reflows to a 320px viewport. Complex data and citation tables retain horizontal scrolling rather than reflowing. |
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | Partially Supports | Most UI component and graphical boundaries meet 3:1. Some form-field borders and citation-badge outlines are under review in certain themes. |
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | Supports | No loss of content when users override text spacing. |
| 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus | Partially Supports | Hoverable content is generally dismissable and persistent; some citation-snippet previews are under review for focus behavior. |
| 2.4.5 Multiple Ways | Supports | Search and navigation provide multiple ways to locate content. |
| 2.4.6 Headings and Labels | Supports | Headings and labels are descriptive. |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | Supports | A visible focus indicator is provided for keyboard focus; color-only focus issue A11Y-1463 remediated. |
| 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) | Partially Supports | Focused elements are generally visible; sticky headers and fixed banners can partially obscure focus in some views (under review). |
| 2.5.7 Dragging Movements | Not Applicable | No functionality relies on dragging movements. |
| 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) | Supports | Pointer targets meet the 24×24 CSS px minimum, or the spacing exception, across the platform following the 2026 target-size remediation. |
| 3.1.2 Language of Parts | Supports | Language changes within content are marked up where they occur. |
| 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation | Supports | Navigation is consistent across pages. |
| 3.2.4 Consistent Identification | Supports | Components with the same function are identified consistently. |
| 3.3.3 Error Suggestion | Supports | Suggestions are provided when input errors can be corrected. |
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | Supports | Submissions for financial and data actions are reversible, checked, or confirmed. |
| 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) | Supports | Authentication uses email/password or OAuth (Google, ORCID); no cognitive function test is required and password managers are supported. |
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | Partially Supports | Many status messages use ARIA live regions; some loading and filter-change updates are being extended to expose status without focus. |
Table 3: Success Criteria, Level AAA
Scite has not evaluated the product against WCAG Level AAA success criteria. All Level AAA criteria are therefore reported as “Not Evaluated.”
Feedback
We welcome feedback on the accessibility of scite.ai. If you encounter a barrier or need information in an alternative format, contact us at support@scite.ai.
“Voluntary Product Accessibility Template” and “VPAT” are registered service marks of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI).
This report was last reviewed on . For a broader description of our accessibility program, see our Accessibility Statement.
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