Digital Accessibility - Library e-resources

This guide provides information about the digital accessibility features of library e-resources. It is a developing resource which currently includes information about some of the Library ebook collections.

General features of the Taylor & Francis platform

This page provides information about the online reader and the landing page for Taylor & Francis. It includes sections on the ease of use of the platform, navigation tips, download formats and available accessibility features. 

Below is a brief summary of accessibility features in the online reader:

Downloading Taylor & Francis eBooks.
Screen readers and text-to-speech software. 
Taylor & Francis' Accessibility Statement

The accessibility information for individual eBooks is available to view from the landing page of that eBook. Clicking on the 'Accessibility Information' button directly below book's cover will open a page detailing a summary and list of that title's accessibility features, as well as information regarding any accessibility certifications that title may have obtained. 

The cover and title information of a Taylor and Francis eBook is displayed. Underneath the cover is a button featuring the accessibility symbol of an encircled stick figure, and the text 'Accessibility Information'. This button has been highlighted with a red box outline.

eBook Formats in the Online Reader:

What eBook formats are available?

When using the online reader, most Taylor & Francis eBooks are available in PDF and EPUB formats. When downloading a book, most titles are also available in both PDF and EPUB formats. In some cases, generally for older titles, books will only be available as PDFs.

Where to find the available formats on the landing page?

At the beginning of 2025, Taylor & Francis introduced a brand new eReader, which comes with a variety of useful features. To access this new eReader, click on the button labelled 'Read Online', located to the right-hand side of the book's cover and title information. Clicking this button will open the online reader in EPUB format. Clicking the 'Download' button will bring up a drop down menu, offering you the choice between opening the file as a PDF, or an EPUB. As the EPUB format offers a far greater range of accessibility options, it is recommended that it is used when available. 

The landing page of a Taylor and Francis eBook. On the right hand side of the image is a blue button labelled 'Download', which has been highlighted with a red box outline.

Changing Font Size/Zoom:

Font Size:

When using the EPUB format, font size can be changed from directly within the online reader. First, click on the button on the header labelled 'Reading Options'. Clicking this button will bring up a drop down menu with a variety of options, one of which is font size. Using the onscreen plus and minus buttons, the font size can be changed from sizes 1 through 30. 

A book is open in the Taylor and Francis eReader. On the header, a button labelled 'Reading Options' has been highlighted with a red box outline. Within a drop down menu directly below the header, a button labelled 'Font Size' has also been highlighted with a red box outline.

Zoom:

When using the EPUB format, zoom can be changed from directly within the online reader. First, click on the button underneath the header on the right hand side labelled 'Display Options'. Clicking this button will bring up a drop down menu with a variety of options to change the display, including buttons labelled 'Zoom in', and 'Zoom out'. 

A T&F eBook is open in the online reader. On the right hand side of the reader, a button labelled 'Display options' has been highlighted with a red box outline. Directly underneath, a drop down features the options 'Zoom in' and 'Zoom out' which are also highlighted with a red box outline.

 

Changing Font Type

Although there is no built in option to change the font type within the Taylor & Francis online reader, any changes to the font type in your web browser's settings will be reflected in the online reader when using the EPUB format.

Page Layout Options:

When using the EBUP format in the online reader, Taylor & Francis offer a variety of different page layout options, many of which can be mixed and matched as you like.

Changing Page Layout

The options for changing the page layout can be found be clicking the 'Reading Options' button located on the header of the online reader. Clicking this button will open a dropdown menu featuring a variety of options to change the page layout.

An eBook is open in the Taylor and Francis online reader. A button on the header labelled 'Reading Options' has been highlighted with a red box outline, and a dropdown menu is present underneath.h

Alignment

There are four different text alignment options: align left, centred. align right, and justified. Clicking on the buttons below the 'Alignment' heading will allow you to change between these options.

Hyphenation

Turing on the hyphenation option formats the text so that words split over two lines are separated by a hyphen, rather than being fit onto a single line.  

Reading Flow

There are two different options for reading flow: one which arranges the pages vertically, and the other horizontally. When arranged vertically, the mouse scroll wheel or up and down arrows can be used to change between pages. When arranged horizontally, clicking the onscreen arrows located at the bottom of the reader will change between pages. 

Changing background/text colour:

Currently, there is no built-in option to change the colour of the background or text within the Taylor & Francis online reader. In cases where colours can be changed in the browser's settings, the changes will be displayed when using the EPUB format in the online reader.

Keyboard Navigation:

The Taylor & Francis website can be navigated using a keyboard through using the tab key to move between links, and the enter button to follow a link. The arrow keys can then be used to scroll up and down a page.

The website features a 'Skip to Main Content' button which appears in the upper centre of the screen when first pressing the tab key on any page. Pressing the enter key when this button is highlighted will skip the website's headers and move directly to the book's content. 

Drop down menus do not open automatically when selected using the tab key. To open a drop down menu, press the enter key when the correct menu has been selected. This function makes it quicker to move past less relevant menus. 

Using the Table of Contents:

How do I access the table of contents from the landing page?

Whilst there is a table of contents directly on the landing page, it is recommended to open the book in the online reader first. Opening the book first is recommended as it allows you to select the EPUB format, which offers a much greater range of features than the PDF format which is available when opening a single chapter.

Once the book is open in the online reader, the table of contents can be accessed by clicking the button labelled 'Contents', located on the toolbar on the left hand side of the screen. Chapters and subchapters can be navigated to by clicking on their title. 

A book is open in the Taylor and Francis online reader. On the left hand side of the screen, a button labelled 'Contents' has been highlighted with a red box outline, and a table of contents is open.

It is also possible to navigate by using the table of contents within the book. From the book's contents page, clicking on any highlighted chapter title will navigate you to that section. 

The table of contents within a Taylor and Francis eBook is open. A chapter title has been highlighted with a red box outline.

Save and Print options for Taylor & Francis eBooks

What download options are available?

The majority of Taylor & Francis content is DRM-free, meaning users can download, print, and copy as much as they like.  

When downloading, most Taylor & Francis eBooks are available in both PDF and EPUB formats. In some cases, generally for older titles, books will only be available as PDFs.

Taylor & Francis allow for books to be downloaded in their entirety, as well as chapters to be downloaded individually. Note that individual chapters can only be downloaded as PDFs.  

Downloading an entire book

To download an entire book, first open it in the online reader. Once the online reader is open, a button labelled 'Download' will be present on the header. Clicking this button will bring up a dropdown menu with buttons for the formats available to download.

A Taylor & Francis eBook is open in the online reader. On the right hand side of the header, there is a button labelled 'Download' and a drop down menu directly beneath it, both of which have been highlighted with a red box outline.

 
Downloading a Single Chapter

The simplest way to download a single chapter of a Taylor & Francis eBook is to open that chapter in the built-in PDF reader. To open a chapter in the PDF reader, click on a chapter title from the table of contents located on the landing page.

The table of contents as seen on the ladning page for a Taylor & Francis eBook. The titles of a variety of chapters have been highlighted with a red box outline.

Once the chapter page has opened, scroll down to the PDF reader. At the top right hand corner of the PDF reader is a small symbol of an arrow pointing downwards. Clicking this arrow will download the chapter currently open in the reader.

A single chapter of a Taylor and Francis eBook is open in the PDF reader. In the right hand corner of the reader's header is a small button with a downwards pointing arrow on it. This button has been highlighted with a red box outline. 

Using screen readers and text-to-speech software with Taylor & Francis eBooks

Inbuilt Text-to-speech:

The Taylor & Francis online reader has inbuilt text-to speech functionality which can be used when reading any book in EPUB format. To start the text-to-speech function, click the circular button with a an icon of a person located on the upper right hand side of the reader.

A book is open in the Taylor and Francis Online reader. In the upper right hand corner, the text-to-speech button has been highlighted with a red box outline.

Clicking this button will bring up a dropdown menu with various options for customising the text-to-speech feature.

A dropdown menu with various options to customise the text-to-speech function within the Taylor and Francis online reader.

Clicking the play button will start the text-to-speech function. Clicking the button again will pause the function. The function will always start from the beginning of the chapter you are currently viewing; there is no way to resume from where you left off, or to start from a point within a chapter.  Furthermore, there are no fast forward or rewind options available.  

The narrator option allows you to change between three different narrators. The speed and pitch sliders allow you to further customise the the narrator's voice. 

 

Screen Reader Compatibility with Taylor & Francis eBooks:

Note: Whilst this section will give an overview for which screen readers work with the above platform, there are many variables which can impact screen reader performance:

  • Browser - Different browsers may not function identically with certain screen readers like Read Aloud only being available with specific browsers. In general, this guide tested books using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. 
  • Software - When using downloaded content, the software chosen to open documents such as PDFs and EPUBS can impact on the functionality of screen readers. In general, this guide tested books using Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge's built in reader's for PDFs, and Calibre and Apple Books for EPUBS.
  • Document preparation: As eBook providers host titles from a variety of publishers, there can be significant differences in screen reader compatibility from title to title. For example, older PDFs are less likely to have OCR text, meaning it cannot always been highlighted or read by a screen reader. In general, this guide tested multiple eBooks for each provider.
Are screen readers compatible with eBooks in ePUB format in the online reader?

VoiceOver (MacOS) - Yes - More information on using VoiceOver

Narrator (Windows) - Yes - More information on using Narrator

Read Aloud (Windows) - No

Are screen readers compatible with eBooks in PDF format in the online reader?

VoiceOver (MacOS) - Yes - More information on using VoiceOver

Narrator (Windows) - No

Read Aloud (Windows) - No

Are screen readers compatible with downloaded eBooks in EPUB format?

VoiceOver (MacOS) - Yes - More information on using VoiceOver

Narrator (Windows) - No

Read Aloud (Windows) - No

Are screen readers compatible with downloaded eBooks in PDF format?

VoiceOver (MacOS) - Yes - More information on using VoiceOver

Narrator (Windows) - Yes - More information on using Narrator - Note that Narrator often struggles with the flow of documents that have multiple elements on a page.

Read Aloud (Windows) - No

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