The scientific journal, PNAS, improves accessibility with alternative text.

The widely cited and comprehensive multidisciplinary scientific journal, PNAS, improves accessibility with alternative text (alt text) for all published figures starting with volume 123 to make figures accessible to readers who are blind or have low vision.

Alt text is a brief description read by screen readers that conveys essential visual content and is complementary to (not a duplicate of) figure captions.

Example given: the alt text for Figure 1 describes oligomerization, phase separation of two monomer types, interaction energies, fragmentation, and sequence distribution.

Alt text is generated using generative AI during production and reviewed by a scientific editor for scientific accuracy.

Authors review and can correct alt text during the proof stage; this initiative is part of PNAS’s broader commitment to digital accessibility.

Read more about PNAS’ alternative text.