Accessibility Statement

The Journal of Computers, Mechanical and Management is committed to making its published content and its website accessible to as many users as possible, including users with disabilities and users who rely on assistive technology. This statement sets out the journal's current accessibility commitments, the standards it works towards, the known limitations of the journal site, and the procedure for raising an accessibility concern.

1. Standards we work towards

The journal works towards the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, as the reference standard for the journal site. This is the standard adopted internationally for academic publishing platforms and is the standard the Public Knowledge Project applies in the development of Open Journal Systems.

2. What is currently accessible

The following features of the journal site are designed to support accessibility:

  • The site uses semantic HTML structure, with headings, lists, links, and forms marked up so that assistive technology can navigate the content;
  • The site supports keyboard-only navigation; all interactive elements can be reached and activated using the Tab and Enter keys;
  • Focus indicators are visible on all interactive elements;
  • The site uses sufficient colour contrast for text and interactive elements, in accordance with WCAG 2.1 contrast ratios;
  • Images that convey information carry alternative text. Decorative images are marked as such so that assistive technology can skip them;
  • Articles are published in HTML where the journal's production workflow supports it, and in PDF;
  • Article metadata (title, abstract, authors, keywords, references) is accessible to screen readers in both the article landing page and the PDF;
  • The site is responsive across screen sizes and supports text resizing in the browser without loss of content or functionality;
  • The journal's open-access licensing permits the production of accessible adaptations (Braille, audio, large print, translation) by users and accessibility services without further permission, in accordance with the Open Access Policy.

3. Known limitations

The journal acknowledges the following known accessibility limitations and is committed to addressing them progressively:

  • PDF accessibility: the journal's article PDFs are produced as text PDFs (not scanned images), which makes the text accessible to assistive technology. However, advanced PDF accessibility features (tagged PDF structure, reading-order metadata, alternative text on figures) are not yet implemented in all articles. Articles published from Volume 5 Issue 2, 2026 onwards will progressively adopt fuller PDF accessibility tagging.
  • Mathematical and chemical notation: mathematical equations and chemical notation in the journal's content may not always be fully accessible to screen readers. Where mathematical content is essential to a manuscript, authors are encouraged to provide a plain-language description in the surrounding text.
  • Figures with complex content: alternative text on complex figures (graphs, charts, schematics) is provided where authors have supplied it. The journal is working to make alternative text submission a standard part of the manuscript-preparation workflow.
  • Third-party content: embedded content from third parties (such as external badge widgets) inherits the accessibility characteristics of the third-party service and is not always fully under the journal's control.

4. Assistive technology compatibility

The journal site is tested with current versions of common assistive technologies, including screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech-recognition software, on common operating systems and browsers. The journal does not guarantee compatibility with every combination of assistive technology and browser, but applies reasonable testing to representative configurations.

5. Reporting an accessibility concern

Users who encounter an accessibility barrier on the journal site or in a published article are invited to write to the editorial office at editor@jcmm.co.in, with the subject line "Accessibility concern". The journal aims to acknowledge accessibility reports within five working days. Where the journal can address a barrier directly (for example, by republishing an article with corrected alternative text), it will do so as soon as practicable. Where the barrier is in the underlying Open Journal Systems platform, the journal forwards the concern to the Public Knowledge Project as platform development input.

6. Requesting accessible alternatives

Users who require an article in an alternative accessible format (for example, plain text, large print, or Braille) may write to journalmanager@jcmm.co.in. The journal aims to provide an accessible alternative within four weeks of the request, where it is reasonable to do so.

7. Effective date and revision

This Accessibility Statement is effective from 25 April 2026. The journal reviews this statement annually and updates it as the journal's accessibility position changes. Material revisions are dated.