Referencing and Linking to WAI Guidelines and Technical Documents
Linking to Overview Pages
In most cases, it is best to link to the Overview page instead of the technical specification because the Overview page provides an introduction, links to related documents, and the status of revisions in progress. Overview pages include:
- WCAG 2 Overview for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag (in English)
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) Overview https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/atag (in English)
- User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) Overview https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/uaag (in English)
- WAI-ARIA Overview for Accessible Rich Internet Applications https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/aria (in English)
Referencing Guidelines and Other Technical Specifications
WAI’s technical specifications (WCAG, WAI-ARIA, and the others listed above) use a “shortname” in the URI (the Web address); for example, “WCAG” and “ATAG” are shortnames. Specific versions are indicated with a number in the URL. Without a number, you get the latest version.
Latest completed version
To link to the latest completed version,do not include a number. For example:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) https://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG/
- User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) https://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG/
- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/
Note:
- Links: The content at these links will change when new versions are published. New versions will often change the internal links (called fragments, targets, or anchors, e.g., “#focus-area”).
- References: When policies do not include a version number, they can be interpreted to reference the latest version.
Specific version
We recommend that you reference the latest version without a number as explained above, unless there is a reason to reference a specific version. To link to a specific version, include the version number, for example:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
- Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) 1.2 https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-1.2/
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0 https://www.w3.org/TR/ATAG20/
- User Agent Accessibility Guidelines (UAAG) 2.0 https://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG20/
Links to the technical specification and the Overview page
Even when linking to the standard, it is usually good to include a link to the Overview page as well. For example:
Example: Linking to WCAG
| URI | Use | Document linked to: | Will the content at this URI change? |
|---|---|---|---|
| www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag | For most links about WCAG | WCAG Overview | Yes, content will be updated with new versions, but the fragments/targets/anchors will mostly remain stable |
| www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/ | For links to the latest version of the WCAG standard | The latest version of WCAG | Yes, content will change when there are new versions, and fragments/targets/anchors may also change |
| www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/ | For links specifically to Version 2.2 of the WCAG technical specification, and not subsequent versions | WCAG Version 2.2 | No |
For more formal guidance on referring to WCAG, see How to Refer to WCAG from Other Documents.
Linking to Techniques, Understanding Documents, and Other “Notes”
While the standards listed above will not change once they are completed, most of the the supporting material that is advisory will be updated. Supporting technical material is usually published as WAI Resources. This includes:
- Understanding WCAG https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/
- Techniques for WCAG https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Techniques/
- ARIA Authoring Practices Guide (APG) https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/
The content at these URIs will change when they are updated. In most cases, you should not include numbers in these links, so that your links provide the latest information and best practices.
Referencing WAI-ARIA versus just ARIA {#waiaria)
“WAI-ARIA” is the formal abbreviation for the Accessible Rich Internet Applications documents. It is now acceptable to use just "ARIA" in informal references.
Additional Information
If you have additional questions, you can contact WAI directly at [email protected].
Related information is provided in Version Management in W3C Technical Reports (W3C-member-only link).
Back to Top