PDF & File Management Guidelines

Watch for Updates

We will be sharing information on how to archive content that meets archive requirements, as well as new processes for posting necessary files after April 2026.

The U.S. Department of Justice has issued new accessibility mandates requiring all public university digital content to meet compliance standards by April 24, 2026. This includes web pages, PDFs, other digital files and any content to which we link on third-party websites.

While we're here to help you meet this deadline, our broader goal is to make Kent State's web content more accessible, user-friendly and discoverable for everyone.

Web Pages vs PDFs

Before uploading a PDF, ask yourself: could this content work as a web page instead?

Here's why we recommend web pages whenever possible:

  • Accessibility: Web pages work better with screen readers and other assistive technologies. They're also easier to navigate for users with disabilities.
  • Mobile experience: PDFs require pinching, zooming and awkward scrolling on phones and tablets. Web pages adapt automatically.
  • Search visibility: Search engines rank web pages higher than PDFs, which means your content is more likely to be found.
  • Maintenance: Updating a web page is straightforward. With PDFs, you have to upload a new file, update links and hope no one bookmarked the old version.
  • Analytics: You can track how people use web pages through Google Analytics. PDFs only show downloads, so you can't evaluate how users actually engage with the content within.

If your content is text-heavy, gets updated regularly or is under a few pages long, it should almost always be a web page rather than a PDF.

Review and Remediate Your Files Now

Now is the time to audit the files on your site. Determine who in your department will lead this effort and who will contribute.

How to Get Started

  1. Request a content export by submitting a ticket.
  2. Evaluate all PDFs and other files on your site.
  3. For each file, ask: Do I need this?
Decision treeFile use caseWhat to DoNotes
No → No longer needed
  1. Review University Libraries Special Collections and Archives guidelines for transferring content. If it qualifies, work with their team to transfer.
  2. Delete the file from the website and remove all links leading to it.
Follow proper deletion steps (below).
Yes → Determine which category:Historical internal documentMove to your department's shared drive or server.Do not host internal files on public websites.
Public historical document
  1. Flag it for the upcoming website PDF/Document Archive; and/or 
  2. Consider if you could instead transfer the content to University Libraries Special Collections and Archives.
    1. If so, thereafter, delete from the website and eliminate links leading to it.
  3. Convert using the convert tool and flip to Resolved in your tracking grid.

The web archive process will open January 2026. Files created after April 2026 will not qualify as historical.

Read the full overview and fact sheet here. The rule includes specific exceptions for certain types of content, including archived web content.

Active, current documentMake it accessible now using Word or Adobe remediation tools—or better yet, convert it to a true web page.All new documents after April 2026 must meet full accessibility standards.

About archive options 

  1. The DOJ rule includes exceptions for archived web PDF content, meaning older documents that are no longer actively used can be preserved for historical reference without full remediation if they meet all four exceptions. This allows us to focus accessibility efforts on current content while maintaining access to historical records through the upcoming website PDF/Document Archive.
  2. Alternatively, webmasters can review University Libraries Special Collections and Archives guidelines for transferring content. If the file(s) qualify, work with their team to transfer and then delete the file from your website, as well as any links leading to that file that is removed.

Need help with PDF accessibility? 

Stay tuned for upcoming workshops on PDF evaluation, remediation and accessibility best practices.

Managing Your Files

Once you've identified which files to keep, delete or remediate, you'll need to follow the proper processes to ensure everything is handled correctly. The sections below cover the essential procedures for file management and accessibility compliance.

How to Delete Files Properly

Follow these steps to ensure files are completely removed from your site and won't still appear in search engine results:

  1. Unpublish or edit any web page that links to the file.
  2. Remove the file from your page content.
  3. Delete the file from the Media Library in Drupal.
  4. Confirm that no other pages link to the file.
  5. Contact us by submitting a ticket if you need help or if the file appears across multiple sites.
How to Make PDFs Accessible Using Adobe Acrobat

Sometimes a PDF is the right choice - for example, forms that need to be printed and filled out or official documents that require specific formatting.

When that's the case, make sure your PDF is accessible:

  • Use the built-in accessibility checker in Word, PowerPoint or Adobe Acrobat before saving as PDF.
  • Include accurate headings and document structure.
  • Add alt text to all images.
  • Ensure all text is searchable (avoid scanned image-only PDFs).
  • Use readable fonts and maintain good color contrast.
  • Write descriptive link text instead of "click here" or bare URLs.
  • Save files with meaningful names that describe their content.

Accessibility Resources

File Upload Changes

What's changing: As of Dec. 1, you'll no longer be able to upload files directly using the "Insert Media" button in the WYSIWYG editor.

Standard process: Create a new "File" content item and upload your document there. This has always been the recommended method in Drupal - we're just removing the alternative option to promote consistency and support accessibility compliance.

Remember: All files uploaded to the website should meet accessibility standards.

Using Siteimprove to Find Where Files Are Linked

Step 1: Create a New Policy in Siteimprove

  1. Open Siteimprove.
  2. Navigate to the Policies section in the left-hand menu.
  3. Click the purple "Create Policy" button.

Step 2: Open the Content Policy Category

  1. Once you are on the Policy Categories page, locate the "Content" tab at the top.
  2. Select the tab labeled "Content."

Step 3: Add a Rule to Your Policy

  1. Click the purple box with a "+" in the center to add a new rule to your policy.
  2. From the drop-down menu that appears, select Link URL.

Step 4: Identify and Copy the URL Segment

  1. Locate the full URL you want your policy to search for.
  2. Copy only the part of the URL that comes immediately after kent.edu.
  3. In this example, the portion you would copy is: /s3fs-root/s3fs-public/file/Weigle_ALISE%202016%20Poster.pdf

Step 5: Add the URL to Your Policy Rule

  1. Paste the URL segment you copied into the Link URL field in your policy.
  2. Set the first condition to "contains."
  3. Set the second condition to "is exactly."
    • Using "contains" is usually sufficient, but I usually double-check accuracy by also adding the "is exactly" condition.

Step 6: Name and Create Your Policy

  1. Enter a name for your policy in the Policy Name field.
  2. Click the purple "Create Policy" button located in the bottom-right corner of your screen.

Step 7: Open Your Policy

  1. Once your policy has finished running, locate it in the Policies list.
  2. Click on the name of your policy to open it and view the results.

Step 8: Review Policy Results

  1. After opening your policy, review the results that appear.
  2. Click on any of the results to view more details.
    • In this example, there is only one result.

Step 9: Locate the Link in the Page HTML

  1. Sometimes Siteimprove won't show the exact location of a link if it's embedded in text.
    • This is the case in this example.
  2. To find the link on the page, click the "View HTML" button.
  3. The HTML view will show exactly where the link exists on the page.
    • The text that the link is attached to is usually displayed just above the actual URL in the HTML.

Step 10: Make Adjustments on the Page

  1. Navigate to the actual page where the policy result was found.
  2. Make any necessary adjustments, such as removing the linked text or updating the link.
How to Audit Non-www.kent.edu Websites

If your site isn't hosted on www.kent.edu (e.g., custom applications or subdomains), it won't be included in our Siteimprove contract. However, there are free tools you can use to check for accessibility and SEO issues:

Google Lighthouse
A free, built-in tool in Chrome DevTools that evaluates accessibility, performance and SEO. It provides scores and actionable recommendations for improvement.

  • How to use: Open your site in Chrome → Right-click → Inspect → Click "Lighthouse" tab → Run audit

Siteimprove Browser Extension
A free browser plugin that scans for accessibility issues and highlights them directly on your page.

  • Note: This tool focuses on accessibility only and doesn't include the customized dashboards available in the full Siteimprove product.

Still Have Questions?

If you need help with content exports, file organization, PDF remediation or converting documents to web pages, please submit a ticket.

Submit a Support Ticket   Register for Drupal Training  Learn to Make PDFS Accessible

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