4 minute read.Enhancing DOI Accessibility for All Users
2025 Update
In 2022, we set out to update our DOI display guidelines with the intention to adopt the proposals in 2025. It’s important to note from the outset that we are not mandating any immediate changes to the DOI display guidelines. Instead, we are working with our community to co-create a solution that addresses the diverse needs of all users, rather than imposing technical changes that may not suit everyone.
Background
DOI links are the lifeblood of scholarly communication. They’re the canonical identifiers that enable researchers to find, cite, and assess academic work. In essence, they’re stable, reliable, and easy to use—provided you can see them. But what happens when a user can’t rely on visual cues?
The Accessibility Challenge
For users of screen readers and other assistive technologies, the full value of a DOI link can be lost. While sighted users benefit from the context surrounding a DOI link—such as the title, abstract, and other metadata—screen reader users often hear just the bare URL. This means they might not know what content the DOI link represents, leading to confusion and a diminished browsing experience.
The problem is compounded by the technical nature of DOI links. Being URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers), they don’t naturally lend themselves to the same accessibility techniques as standard URLs. When we attempted to tweak DOI links directly, every change that improved accessibility for one group inadvertently hindered another. Whether it was a WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) rule or an ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attribute, a solution that worked in one area would break in another.
Realizing that a one-size-fits-all fix wouldn’t work, we took a different approach - one that involved the community from the outset. After consulting with early adopters and attending an insightful session with the JATS4R accessibility group, it became clear that the answer lay in experimentation and iteration. Rather than modifying the DOI display guidelines immediately, we are developing a tool that enhances the user experience without disrupting the current standards.
It’s worth noting that this solution places the responsibility on the end user rather than on publishers and platform providers. However, by doing so, users can have a consistent browsing experience regardless of the platform they use to access scholarly content. This approach also serves as an important stepping stone toward a future publisher-provided solution—be it via accessibility-focused JavaScript or a mandated dual-link implementation—and any efforts to recommend or mandate such changes will benefit greatly from concrete evidence of the effectiveness and scalability of this approach.
Introducing the DOI Accessibility Enhancer
First demonstrated at the recent Crossref Annual Meeting, here we share our DOI Accessibility Enhancer browser extension. Available now on the Firefox Add-on Store and the Chrome Web Store, this extension is designed to improve the experience of DOI links for screen reader users without altering the default behavior for sighted users.
How It Works
Scanning for DOI Links: The extension scans any webpage for DOI links.
Querying Metadata: Once a DOI is detected, it queries the Crossref REST API to retrieve the title of the corresponding scholarly work.
Enhancing the Link: The title is then injected as a screen-reader–only link. This means that when a screen reader user navigates to the DOI, they hear the title of the paper rather than the opaque URL.
Maintaining Visual Integrity: For sighted users, the original DOI link remains unchanged—visible, clickable, and easy to copy-and-paste.
Highlighting for Testing: An optional feature highlights updated links, making it easier for developers and testers to see the changes in action.
Get Involved
This project is very much a community effort. The extension is open-source, and we welcome feedback and contributions via our GitLab repository, email, or Community Forum. Your real-life experiences and insights will drive future improvements, ensuring that our solution meets the diverse needs of all users.
Try It Out
If you’re using Firefox, head over to the Firefox Add-on Store and install the DOI Accessibility Enhancer today. If you’re a Chrome user, you can find the extension directly in the Chrome Web Store. If you use a screen reader you’ll experience the difference firsthand - and if you don’t, give it a try with VoiceOver enabled (Command-F5 on a Mac).
Together, we can advance scholarly accessibility and ensure that critical research remains discoverable for everyone.
