International Study | Temple University

University Offices | Temple University

Internal Audits | Temple University

Temple Health | Temple University

Campuses | Temple University

Courses and Schedules | Temple University

Sustainability | Temple University

Honors Program | Temple University

University Events | Temple University

Libraries | Temple University

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

Temple University

	Title / URL	Issues
	International Study \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/academics/international-study	33
	University Offices \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/about/university-offices	33
	Internal Audits \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/about/internal-audits	33
	Temple Health \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/about/temple-health	33
	Campuses \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/academics/campuses	33
	Courses and Schedules \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/academics/courses-schedules	33
	Sustainability \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/life-at-temple/sustainability	33
	Honors Program \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/academics/honors-program	33
	University Events \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/about/university-events	33
	Libraries \| Temple Universitywww.temple.edu/about/libraries	33

Combine adjacent links with the same destination

Temple University

Where this issue has occurred