Recently, I published a post highlighting a common accessibility issue in scientific social media: the use of Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols (stylised Unicode characters) that render content inaccessible to screen reader users.
Italicised text serves an important purpose in academic writingโit provides semantic emphasis, distinguishes taxonomic names, and follows established scholarly conventions. However, on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Twitter, which lack text formatting, attempting to replicate italics using Unicode characters creates a significant barrier for anyone relying on assistive technology.
My original post included a feed of examples of publishers using these characters, not to shame, but to raise awareness of an issue many simply don't realise exists.
Why This Follow-Up Matters
Shortly after publishing, I received a response from Dr Will Perry, a publicity officer and editor for the Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI) who frequently used stylised Unicode characters in their posts.
Not defensively. Not dismissively. But with immediate action.
#JFB: Multiple tools to investigate the origin of the exotic species Chinook Salmon ๐๐ฏ๐ค๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฉ๐บ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฉ๐ถ๐ด ๐ต๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ธ๐บ๐ต๐ด๐ค๐ฉ๐ข (Walbaum, 1792) (Salmonidae) in the world's largest chocked coastal lagoon doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70151 #FishSci
Thanks for raising this! I will action this immediately across all the FSBI social media channels.
Dr Perry acknowledged the issue, thanked me for raising it, and confirmed the FSBI would stop using these stylised characters in their social media content going forward.
And true to their word, they made that change!
New research reports the foraging association between the piscivorous Japanese #amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata) and the zoobenthivorous Asian sheephead #wrasse (Semicossyphus reticulatus): doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70140 #JFB
This is what commitment to accessibility looks like. The FSBI didn't need lengthy justification or multiple complaints. They simply recognised that accessibility matters more than aesthetics, and they updated their practice.
To Dr Perry and the FSBI: thank you for listening, for acting quickly, and for demonstrating that accessibility advocacy can create real, immediate change. Your response shows that when we point out barriers, the goal isn't conflictโit's collaboration towards a more inclusive scientific community.
Help make science more-accessible
For anyone else still using Mathematical Alphanumeric Symbols in social media posts: there's no shame in not knowing. But now you do. Plain text is the accessible choice. Follow the FSBI's lead.
I'm looking at you Pensoft and Royal Society of Chemistry!