Website Policies and Guidelines

Web content must be current and accurate and must directly reflect the research, education and/or training being done in a School of Medicine department, program or center.

Web copy must be academic-focused and geared towards an external audience (prospective students, residents, fellows, researchers, faculty and the public). Patient-facing content should be reserved for the UCI Health website only.

All content should be unique to the School of Medicine. Web content should not contain copyrighted information, including both text and imagery. NOTE: Images obtained from stock image websites, such as iStock or Getty Images, are approved to use because you purchase the image’s license when you download an image, allowing you to display the image on public-facing websites. To include external resources, directly link to the external sites to prevent non-compliance.

Content Review

Designated web content liaisons from each unit are responsible for regularly reviewing their web content to prevent it from becoming outdated or inaccurate. We recommend doing a complete content review (reviewing every page of your site) at least twice a year.

Content Compliance Process

To ensure all web content aligns with the School of Medicine's standards and policies, the following process applies if non-compliant content is identified:

• Notification: The responsible content editor will receive a written notification detailing the non-compliance issue.
• Correction Period: A two-week period will be provided from the date of notification to correct the flagged content.
• Reminder: If the content remains non-compliant after the two-week period, a final reminder will be issued.
• Resolution: If the content is not brought into compliance within 30 days of the initial discovery date, the Digital Communications team reserves the right to edit or remove the content directly.
• Access Revocation: If the Digital Communications team edits or removes content due to non-compliance, the content editor's access privileges may be revoked.
• Reinstatement: To regain content editor access, individuals must re-complete the required website training and formally acknowledge their understanding and agreement to adhere to all content policies and guidelines.

Content Updates and Edits

The Digital Communications Team manages all content updates and edits for the main School of Medicine website and its associated microsites (any website with a URL beginning with medschool.uci.edu).

To submit a web edit request for the main School of Medicine site or a microsite, please use the form and follow the instructions on our Web Edit Request page.

Content updates and edits for our standalone websites (Center for Translational Vision Research, Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences) are handled by individuals who have been granted content editor access for those sites.

We’re committed to making digital content accessible to everyone. Disabilities can affect how site visitors access content on a webpage. To ensure we’re prioritizing accessibility, please review the following guidelines pertaining to images, videos and PDFs:

Images

Images must have alt text so site visitors who rely on screenreaders can decipher what is displayed.

• Avoid text over images (logos are acceptable).
• The highest-resolution image files should be used. Photos should be JPG and/or PNG files with at least 72 ppi and 5” x 5”. Anything lower resolution risks appearing grainy and blurry on the site, negatively affecting brand representation and user experience.

Videos

To be added to the School of Medicine website, videos must be hosted on external platforms like YouTube or Vimeo and contain captions to meet accessibility standards.

Captioning Resources:

• For information on electronic accessibility guidelines, including resources on creating video captions, please visit the UCOP Electronic Accessibility website.
• To access a list of free, self-captioning tools and paid captioning services, please visit the UC Irvine Accessibility Closed Captioning Vendors page.

PDFs (and other document files)

When to Link to PDFs and Other Document Files*:

• Primarily for offline use: Links to document files are best suited for sharing information intended for printing, offline reading, or situations where offline access is crucial.
• Static, printable content: Utilize links to files like brochures, forms, and flyers designed and intended for physical distribution.
• Preserving formatting: Use PDFs for documents where maintaining original formatting is essential (e.g., formal reports, archived documents).

* Please see the resources section below to learn how to create accessible documents.

When to Avoid PDFs and Other Document Files:

• Online readability and accessibility: Avoid linked documents for content meant to be easily discovered, navigated and consumed online. Webpages are generally more suitable and accessible.

Accessibility Considerations:

• Prioritize webpages: In accordance with the UC IT Accessibility Policy, we highly recommend publishing content on accessible webpages whenever possible.
• Accessibility requirements: Documents (PDFs, slide decks, word processing files) on public websites must be accessible to individuals who rely on screen readers.
• Creating accessible documents: If a document must be in a non-webpage format, ensure it incorporates accessibility features (e.g., alt text for images, proper heading structure)

Resources

If a document needs to be added to your website, ensure it is accessible. Please refer to the resources below to learn how to create accessible documents.

UC Systemwide Resources

• IT Services: Accessible Documents and PDFs
• Electronic Accessibility
• Create Accessible PDFs

UC Irvine Resources

• Accessibility Basics Training (Student Life & Leadership)
• Division of Teaching Excellence & Innovation (DTEI) – Accessibility Resources
• Teaching Accessibility Cheat Sheet

External Resources

• Adobe Acrobat Workflow for Creating Accessible PDFs
• Create Accessible Digital Products (Section 508)
• WebAIM: Microsoft Word Accessibility
  • A practical guide for making Word documents accessible, including headings, alt text and structure 
• Creating Accessible Documents Cheatsheets

All logos, colors and fonts must adhere to UC Irvine’s brand guidelines. New logos and artwork for department or school programs must be developed in collaboration with the Communications & Public Relations Office and be approved by the UC Irvine Strategic Communications Office before print and digital use.

We do not use the UC Irvine seal on our websites. The UC Irvine seal is an official university mark and should only be used for the most formal applications and as a stand-alone graphic. It should not be altered in any way. For permission to use UC Irvine seals, please email graphicservices@uci.edu or call 949-824-6922.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a robust and secure web presence, the School of Medicine Digital Communications team maintains a central repository of all websites built on the School of Medicine Drupal platform. This inventory enhances oversight, facilitates timely updates, and ensures compliance with university policies by tracking key details such as the site URL, name, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), team responsible for overseeing website content, website contact information, web host, site type (CMS), unit type, creation and last updated dates, and site status.