Why IUP? - Admissions and Aid - IUP

IUP Libraries - IUP

Safety - Life at IUP - IUP

Parents - IUP

Research and Innovation - IUP

How to Apply - Admissions and Aid - IUP

Visit IUP or Tour Virtually - Admissions and Aid - IUP

MyIUP - IUP

IUP Research Institute - IUP

Centers and Institutes - Research and Innovation - IUP

Two adjacent links should not point to the same destination. You almost always want to combine the 
two links.

For example, it is quite common to link an image and text together like this:

```html
<a href="news.html">
    <img src="photo.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
<a href="news.html">
    News
</a>
``` 

These adjacent links should be combined like so:

```html
<a href="news.html">
    <img src="photo.jpg" alt="" />
    News
</a>
``` 

Links to `#` are ignored, as these are nearly always placeholders for JavaScript, e.g.:

```html
<a href="#" onclick="approve()">
    OK
</a>
<a href="#" onclick="reject()">
    Cancel
</a>
```

# Justification

Many users of assistive technology are only able to experience content sequentially - that is, they must
step through each part of the page, one part at a time. Often this is a slow process, potentially 
hampered by a physical impediment.

Stepping through redundant links is time consuming; for example users of a screen reader must 
hear each link read aloud in turn. 

This also simplifies your code. 

# Methodology

1. Find all links (`<a>` tags) on the page.
2. Ignore links pointing to `#`, as these are usually placeholders for JavaScript.
3. Flag links which are (a) separated only by whitespace and (b) which point to the 
   same absolute URL.  

# Learn more

Read about [Technique H2](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/H2) on how to combine
an adjacent image and texts links.

duplicate-adjacent-link

September 2025

August 2025

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

	Title / URL	Issues
	Why IUP? - Admissions and Aid - IUPwww.iup.edu/admissions/why-iup.html	3
	IUP Libraries - IUPwww.iup.edu/library/index.html	2
	Safety - Life at IUP - IUPwww.iup.edu/life-at-iup/safety/index.html	2
	Parents - IUPwww.iup.edu/resources-for/parents.html	2
	Research and Innovation - IUPwww.iup.edu/research/index.html	2
	How to Apply - Admissions and Aid - IUPwww.iup.edu/admissions/how-to-apply.html	2
	Visit IUP or Tour Virtually - Admissions and Aid - IUPwww.iup.edu/admissions/visit/index.html	2
	MyIUP - IUPwww.iup.edu/myiup/index.html	2
	IUP Research Institute - IUPwww.iup.edu/researchinstitute/index.html	2
	Centers and Institutes - Research and Innovation - IUPwww.iup.edu/research/centers/index.html	2

Combine adjacent links with the same destination

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Where this issue has occurred