EPUB Accessibility Validation
Pubrica provides EPUB accessibility validation for publishers preparing titles and catalogues for release. Our accessibility specialists validate EPUB files against EPUB Accessibility 1.1 and WCAG 2.2, combining automated checks with manual review of structure, navigation and reading order. We also check the accessibility metadata, which tells readers, libraries and distributors whether a title is accessible. You receive a findings report ranked by reader impact and re-validation after fixes.
- Automated and manual validation: automated tools identify syntax problems, and manual review checks reading order, heading hierarchy and description quality
- Accessibility metadata checked: access modes, sufficient access modes, features, hazards and a summary written by a specialist
- Navigation tested as a reader uses it: table of contents, page list, landmarks and heading navigation
- Findings ranked by impact, so the most serious issues are fixed first
- Re-validated after fixes, with a record you can attach to a conformance claim
Automated and manual validationIncluded
Accessibility metadata reviewIncluded
Navigation and reading order testingIncluded
Ranked findings and re-validationIncluded
EPUB production and conversionNot included
EPUB → validated → read → ranked → report
- Automated and manual passes
- Metadata checked and verified
- Navigation tested as a reader uses it
- Findings ranked by impact
- Re-validation included
Service Scope
Four Components of Every EPUB Validation
Each validation tests what a reader using assistive technology can do with the file, in addition to what an automated checker reports.
From the validationACE report: 0 violations.Zero automated violations, and eleven manual findings: reading order wrong in three chapters, heading levels skipped, and alt text on all fourteen figures reading only “image”.
From the metadata reviewNo accessibility metadata present.accessMode: textual, visual. accessModeSufficient: textual. accessibilityFeature: structuralNavigation, alternativeText, readingOrder. accessibilityHazard: none. Summary written by a person.
From the navigation testWithout a page list, a student using a screen reader cannot cite page numbers from the print edition, which is a significant barrier in an academic title.
From the reportAn unranked list is often worked through in order of ease rather than impact, so ranking is part of our report.
The samples shown are illustrative and anonymised. Hover over a sample to replay it.
Compliance and Standards
Four EPUB Accessibility Standards
Where a distributor or library sets a conformance requirement, that requirement takes priority.
EPUB Accessibility (with EPUB 3.3)
The conformance and discoverability requirements for EPUB, covering structure, navigation and the metadata that shows accessibility in a catalogue.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (level AA)
The success criteria that most procurement requirements refer to, either directly or through Section 508 or EN 301 549.
Automated validation (plus manual review)
The open validator most widely used in the industry. Manual review is still required for reading order and description quality.
Quality management (cert. H3CR9TCU20251212INDQM10N)
This certification covers how the audit or remediation is run, recorded and released.
Responsible Use of AI
Limitations of Automated Accessibility Checking
A checker that returns zero errors does not, on its own, show that a document is accessible. Alt text that describes a chart only as a “chart”, a reading order that is technically valid but unusable, and tagging that passes validation but fails a screen-reader user can all pass automated checks.
Why We Do Not Publish AI Accuracy Figures
Accuracy figures for AI tools are usually reported by the companies that sell them.
Pubrica therefore does not quote its own accuracy figures, as they would carry the same conflict of interest. Instead, we tell you which tool was used on your project, at which stage, and what a specialist changed afterwards.
Our Process
How Our EPUB Accessibility Validation Process Works
Automated validation provides a baseline, and manual review identifies the issues that automated tools cannot detect.
Automated validation
We run the current validator to identify syntax, structural and metadata issues and establish a baseline for the manual review.
Manual review
A specialist tests reading order, heading hierarchy, description quality, table structure and navigation in the way a reader would use the book.
Metadata review
We check access modes, features, hazards and the written summary, and draft any that are missing.
Ranked report and re-validation
We rank findings by reader impact and re-validate the file once fixes are made, giving you a record to attach to a conformance claim.
Our Experts
Your EPUB Accessibility Team
A named team of subject specialists stays with your project from scoping to delivery. Your project coordinator introduces each team member by name before work begins.
Reviews the scientific content for accuracy and confirms that each conclusion is supported by the evidence. Each expert is matched to your field.
Reviews content for accuracy, pedagogy and conformance with the applicable curriculum, assessment or accessibility standard.
Checks the finished work independently against the agreed scope and the applicable checklist. Findings are logged and resolved before delivery.
Manages the timeline, keeps you informed at each stage and coordinates the team so that questions are answered and deadlines are met.
Packages
EPUB Accessibility Validation Packages
Pricing depends on title length and complexity. Catalogues are quoted from a representative sample.
Single title validation
Publishers validating a title before release
Quoted per projectBased on length and complexity
Delivery By scope
- ✓Automated validation
- ✓Manual review of reading order and navigation
- ✓Description quality assessed
- ✓Accessibility metadata reviewed and drafted
- ✓Findings ranked by reader impact
- ✓Re-validation after fixes
We recommend validation before release, because fixes after distribution require reissuing the file to every channel.
Service Scope Request a quoteCatalogue programme
Publishers with a list to assess
Quoted per projectBased on volume, quoted from a sample
Delivery By arrangement
- ✓Sample validation to establish the defect profile
- ✓Batch validation to a consistent method
- ✓Common defects identified across the list
- ✓Upstream causes reported as well as individual defects
- ✓Metadata remediated across the catalogue
Most catalogues have a small number of recurring defects, and identifying them is more efficient than validating every title individually.
Service Scope Request a quoteSend one EPUB and we will validate it free of charge, using automated and manual checks, and identify which findings would prevent a reader from using it.
FAQs
EPUB Accessibility Validation FAQs
If your question is not answered here, ask an expert — no quote is required.
An automated checker identifies syntax errors, missing attributes and absent metadata. It cannot evaluate whether the reading order is correct, whether headings form a logical hierarchy or whether alt text is meaningful.
A book can pass automated checks while all its figures carry alt text reading only “image”, and such a book is not accessible.
Accessibility metadata is what readers, libraries and distributors see before they obtain the file. Without it, a fully accessible book cannot be distinguished in a catalogue from an inaccessible one.
It is also one of the least costly issues to fix.
We report and rank findings and can remediate metadata and image descriptions. Structural rebuilding of the EPUB remains with your production team or vendor.
We keep this boundary so that our validation remains independent of the production vendor.
Before release. After distribution, a fix requires reissuing the file to every channel that has received it.
For a backlist, we validate a sample first, because most catalogues have a small number of recurring defects and identifying them is more efficient than validating every title.
Related Services
Related Accessibility Services
Validation documents the accessibility of a file. The services below cover conformance reporting, content remediation and production workflows.
1CONFORMANCE REPORTINGrequired by buyers
VPAT and conformance reportTested and evidenced conformance reporting. Accessibility complianceDocuments and media to WCAG 2.2.2CONTENT REMEDIATIONdescriptions and equations
Scientific alt textAlt text for data-heavy figures. MathML remediationEquations rebuilt as MathML.3PRODUCTION WORKFLOWpreventing recurring defects
Publishing workflow advisoryBorn-accessible and XML-first workflows. Digital production QAQuality checks before release.Request a Free EPUB Accessibility Validation
Automated and manual validation with ranked findings, identifying which issues would prevent a reader from using the book.