PDF Decision Tree

• Existing PDF: Is the PDF still in use?
  • Yes: Review the 3Rs Review Strategy: Retire, Replace, Remediate. Continue to question 2.
  • No: Consider removing (deleting) or archiving this PDF.  
• New Content: Continue through the decision tree to determine if a file type other than PDF will work for you. 

Some course or research materials may be available in the Ohio State Library system.

• Yes → Recommendation: Use the library link for the resources needed rather than creating a PDF.
  • For help linking to and checking on the accessibility of library materials, go to the Ask Us services page through University Libraries.
    • If additional help is needed after working with Ask Us, contact the Library Accessibility Coordinators at LIB-A11y@osu.edu
• No: Is this content from a third-party resource (such as state or federal government) or textbook?
  • Yes: If possible, contact the resource source and ask for a persistent link or, for publishers, ask for an accessible ePUB or eBook version.
  • No: Is this a scanned document?
    • Yes: Use Adobe Acrobat to export the scan to an accessible Microsoft Word (.docx) file. Adobe's help resources can guide you through exporting PDFs to Microsoft Office formats.
      • If content doesn't transfer well, contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for assistance.
    • No: Continue to question 3. 

• Yes → Recommendation: Don't use a PDF. Continue to question 4 to consider other file formats.
  • Note: Once you edit the source file of a previously remediated PDF, the accessibility formatting may be compromised. This means the PDF must be manually re-checked and fixed each time edits are made, which makes PDFs inefficient and expensive to maintain.  
• No: Continue to question 4.

• Yes: Do you have access to the original source document for the PDF?
  • Yes → Recommendation: Share, post, or publish the original Microsoft Office file. It is much easier to make these files accessible than it is to remediate them as PDFs.
    • Note: If you are using a PDF because the file needs to be distributed in a protected or locked format, you can share Microsoft files as "read-only" to communicate that the document should not be edited.
  • No: Consider exporting your PDF to Microsoft Word or PowerPoint via Adobe Acrobat. After reviewing and remediating, share the resulting .docx or .ppt version.
• No (or don’t know): Continue to question 5. 

• Yes:
  • Content for a course in CarmenCanvas: Using the provided Canvas Rich Content Editor, transfer the content into your course, run the accessibility checker, and fix issues as needed.
  • Content for a website: Is the content for broad use at Ohio State or for the general public?
    • Yes: Transfer the content directly into the appropriate website.
      • Contact the web lead of the appropriate website for assistance adding content to webpages. You can find the web lead by searching the Digital Inventory System of Websites.
    • No: Continue through the decision tree to consider other options for this content.
• No: Continue to question 6. 

• Yes: Was the form created by your department?
  • Yes: Turn it into a Qualtrics form or Microsoft Form.
    • Note: Google Forms is useful for quick and easy events or attendance forms but does not guarantee data privacy. Qualtrics and Microsoft both offer secure data collection, and Qualtrics is best suited for research surveys or longer forms with extensive options.
  • No: If this is an external PDF form that is produced by federal or state government (ie. HR employment files, tax files, legal documents), then, whenever possible, link to the form on the government site, rather than posting the PDF on an Ohio State site.
• No: Continue to question 7. 

• Yes: Is it being shared in an email or a Marketing and Communications message?
  • Yes: If you are distributing the PDF as an email attachment, ensure it is accessible and make sure to also include the text and important information inside the body of the email or message, so everyone can access the information.  
    • For social media posts, attached files or images should have alt text.
    • If you link to the PDF from a mass email, continue to question 8.
  • No: Was it created in Adobe InDesign, Adobe Express, or Canva?
    • Yes: Using accessibility features within Adobe InDesign can help reduce the effort of remediating a finished PDF in Acrobat. Canva has some accessibility features, including PDF auto-tagging, but they are not PDF/UA-2 or WCAG compliant and will still require manual remediation in Adobe Acrobat.
    • No: Contact your Accessibility Coordinator to see if there is someone in your department that can remediate the PDF for you. If not, contact one of our PDF Remediation Suppliers.
• No: Continue to question 8.

• Yes: If providing a PDF for printing purposes only, identify file as “For Print” and make sure all the information is also available in an accessible format (webpage, Word document, email, etc.).
  • Also include “for-print” as a suffix in the PDF file name.
• No: Evaluate the PDF for accessibility and remediate if needed.
  • Note: Follow the steps in our guide to Producing Accessible PDF Documents to ensure the PDF is accessible.
    • You can also work with your Accessibility Coordinator to see if there is someone in your department that can review and remediate the accessibility of the PDF for you. If not, contact one of our PDF Remediation Suppliers.

• Creating a new PDF: Follow the steps in our guide to Producing Accessible PDF Documents.
• Remediating an existing PDF: Contact your Accessibility Coordinator to see if there is someone in your department that can remediate the PDF for you. If not, contact one of our PDF Remediation Suppliers to fix the PDF at the unit’s expense.