Academic journals are essential resources for anyone in research and higher education. But dense language, complex concepts, and an overwhelming presentation make them difficult for many students to access. Accessibility is not just about readability. It is about making research accessible to everyone.
Here are four tips on how to do that and how students would benefit.
1. Include a Concise Summary
Academic journals should include a concise summary at the start of each article: a plain-English overview of the main points, findings, and conclusions.
How this differs from an abstract: Abstracts typically use technical language and jargon. A summary should be simple and straightforward: the elevator pitch of the research, designed to give any reader a clear sense of what the article is about in just a few sentences.
For students: Start with the summary or abstract to determine whether an article is relevant to your research before committing to a full read.
2. Use Clear Language
One of the biggest barriers to accessibility in academic journals is overly complex language. While technical terms are sometimes necessary, they should be used sparingly and always clearly defined.
For researchers: Aim to include simplified meanings of technical terms within the article itself.
For students: If you encounter unfamiliar language, research the meanings and include definitions in your annotations to support further reading.
Clear language does not just make research accessible to non-experts. It ensures findings reach a broader audience and have more impact.
3. Add Text to Images
Images, graphs, and charts are common in academic journals, but they can be inaccessible to readers with visual impairments or those who struggle with interpreting visual data.
What to do: Add descriptive alt text to every image. This should describe what the image shows and explain its significance in the context of the article.
For students: When using images in your assignments or presentations, always include a caption or alt text. This makes your work accessible and helps to normalise accessible practices.
4. Choose Accessible Fonts
Font choice significantly affects the readability of academic content. Widely spaced, easy-to-read fonts such as Arial or Verdana are recommended for accessibility.
- These fonts reduce eye strain during long reading sessions
- They make it easier for readers with dyslexia or other reading differences to process text
Consistent, clean typography reduces the cognitive load of navigating a dense document.
How Tailo Helps With Academic Accessibility
Accessibility in academic journals is improving, but slowly. In the meantime, research AI tools like Tailo can fill the gaps. As a website for research and reading support, Tailo is one of the more practical AI tools for research available to students navigating accessibility gaps in academic publishing.
What Tailo does for academic accessibility:
- Summaries: generates a plain-English overview of any document, even when the journal has not provided one
- Font and display: adjust font, spacing, and background colour to suit your reading needs
- Read Aloud: listen to academic content rather than reading it, reducing visual strain
- Explain This: highlight any complex term or passage and get a plain-English explanation instantly
Tailo is one of the more practical researching tools available to students navigating accessibility gaps in academic publishing. It is free to try for a full semester, and available fully funded for eligible UK students through DSA.
Make Academic Reading Work for You
Accessibility in academic journals is a shared responsibility. Until the publishing world catches up, artificial intelligence research tools like Tailo can help students bridge the gap.
Free for a full semester, or funded through DSA for eligible UK students.