The document proposes including accessibility criteria in the publishing workflow of images in biomedical academic articles. It discusses how visual content is important but often inaccessible. It then outlines a behavior change wheel model to intervene at different points in the submission process, such as educating authors, improving tools, and introducing validation steps. Checklists are provided to help make figures accessible by including detailed descriptions and explanations for labels, colors, adjustments, scales, and more. The overall goal is to ensure images are born digitally accessible.

1. A proposal for the inclusion of
accessibility criteria in the publishing
workflow of images in biomedical
academic articles
Bruno Splendiani & Mireia Ribera
Universitat de Barcelona
Adaptabit group
Software Development and Technologies for Enhancing Accessibility
and Fighting Info-exclusion

2. Visual content is important
Average count from a previous analysis of
biomedical articles (1)
Figure count Page count Figures per
page
38 97 0.4
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

3. Process oriented accessibility
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

4. Born digital must be born accessible
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

5. Behaviour change wheel (BCW)
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

6. BCW applied to submission workflow
Component Intervention
function
Action Actors
Capability Education Inform authors about readers with disabilities.
Offer simulations of perceived images
Publisher
Training Provide guidelines, examples and evaluation tools Publisher
Opportunity Enablement Improve image editing tools Software developers
Restriction Introduce validations Publisher
Environmental
restructuring
Introduce accessibility criteria Publisher
Motivation Persuasion Inform about disabilities prevalence Publisher
Inform about legal requirements Publisher
Incentivisation Inform about findability benefits Publisher
Rewards to accessible images Publisher
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

7. Image text
alternatives
decision
tree
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

8. Checklist: all types of figures
• Is the image clearly identified? Identify it.
• Does the figure use labels? Explain labels, including
symbols, letters, arrows and numbers.
• Does the figure use abbreviations? Explain
abbreviations and acronyms.
• Does the figure convey information by colors? Explain
the meaning conveyed by colors.
• Has any modification/ adjustment/ enhancement
been applied to the figure? Explain it
• Does the figure refer to an external source? Specify it
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

9. Checklist: statistical graphics
• Does the image include variables? Describe
the variables.
• Does the figure show Cartesian coordinates?
Describe the units of measurement
• Does the image provide a statistical analysis?
o include statistical significance
o type of analysis
o information about the sample
o standard deviation, etc.
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

10. Checklist: Medicine and Biology
• Does the figure highlight areas of interest?
Explain them
• Has a magnification been applied to the
figure? Specify the scale
• Has the figure been acquired by a specific
modality? Specify it
• Is the clinical background included? Describe it
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

11. Checklist: Medicine
• Has a specific cut type been applied to the
figure? Specify it.
• Has any reconstruction been applied to the
figure? Specify it.
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

12. Informal validation
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

13. References
1) Splendiani B, Ribera M. Accessibility of
Graphics in STEM Research Articles: Analysis
and Proposals for Improvement. Journal of
the Association for Information Science and
Technology (JASIST).
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

14. Image credits
• Baby with computer
http://pixabay.com/es/beb%C3%A9-
ni%C3%B1o-la-infancia-equipo-84627/
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany

15. Thank you
Questions?
Try the checklist
with your own images
June 10-12, 2015 DSAI 2015 - Sankt Augustin, Germany