Reading order must follow the visual order

PDF/UA check DOC_LOGICAL_ORDER · Document level · severity Critical · PDF/UA 8.2.3 Logical content order

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Why it matters#

Content must be organized in the order it should be read. Multi-column layouts or complex pages can cause screen readers to jump between columns mid-sentence if the reading order isn't set correctly. This check requires manual review.

What you will see#

This check is always reported for manual review — an automated tool cannot judge whether the tag order matches the order a person would read the page in.

How to fix#

Review the order of elements in the tag tree against the intended reading order, especially across columns, sidebars, and floating content. Move structure elements in the Tags panel (or with a remediation tool) so the tree reads top to bottom in the intended sequence. Verify the result with a screen reader or a read-aloud pass.

Step-by-step guide#

1. Open the Accessibility tags panel (View > Show/Hide > Side panels > Accessibility tags) and walk the tag tree from top to bottom - this structure element order is what assistive technology reads, and PDF/UA-2 8.2.3 requires it to be semantically correct.
2. Compare the tree order against the intended reading order: title before body, columns read in sequence, sidebars and pull quotes at logical points, captions with their figures, and no mid-sentence jumps between page regions.
3. Drag misplaced structure elements to their correct position in the Accessibility tags panel until the tree reads in the intended sequence.
4. For pages needing broad rework, use All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order (the Reading Order tool) to re-tag regions in the correct order, then re-check the tags panel - its Order panel shows content order, which is not identical to tag tree order.
5. Mark repeating page furniture (running headers, footers, page numbers) as artifacts so it does not interrupt the reading flow; per 8.2.3, artifact content consumed as a single unit belongs in a single artifact, and ordered artifact content (e.g. digits of a page number) must keep its order.
6. Listen to the result with a screen reader (NVDA, JAWS) or Acrobat's Read Out Loud to confirm the document makes sense when read straight through.

Verify: EQChecker always records a warning for this rule to flag manual review - it cannot be cleared algorithmically. Confirm correctness by reading the document with a screen reader and reviewing the tag order in the Accessibility tags panel.

Note: The author defines the intended order (8.2.3 Note 2): common approaches are following the visual layout order for the language, or most-important-content-first. Example from the standard: a trifold brochure's title panel belongs first in the tree even when it is not the leftmost panel.

Fixing it in your authoring tool#

WCAG success criteria#

1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence — Level A#

When the order of content affects meaning, the DOM/reading order must match the intended visual order.

Understanding 1.3.2

Standards#

This check contributes to the following standards:

PDF/UA WCAG A EN 301 549

References#

• W3C — PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.1
• Matterhorn Protocol 1.1 — PDF Association