roles.md

Roles

Inherited from HTML and/or ARIA

Role	EPUB type equivalent	ARIA role	HTML element	Definition
article			<article>	Represents a self-contained composition in a document, page, application, or site, which is intended to be independently distributable or reusable
aside	aside		<aside>	Secondary or supplementary content.
audio			<audio>	Embedded sound content in a document.
blockquote			<blockquote>	Represents a section that is quoted from another source.
caption			<caption> or <figcaption>	A caption for an image or a table.
cell	table-cell	cell	<td>	A single cell of tabular data or content.
columnheader		columnheader	<th> with scope col	The header cell for a column, establishing a relationship between it and the other cells in the same column.
complementary		complementary		A supporting section of the document, designed to be complementary to the main content at a similar level in the DOM hierarchy, but remains meaningful when separated from the main content.
definition	glossdef	definition	<dd>	A definition of a term or concept.
figure	figure	figure	<figure>	An illustration, diagram, photo, code listing or similar, referenced from the text of a work, and typically annotated with a title, caption and/or credits.
header			<header>	Represents introductory content, typically a group of introductory or navigational aids.
heading		heading	<h1> through <h6>	A heading for a section of the page.
image		img	<img>	Represents an image.
list	list	list	<ul> or <ol>	A structure that contains an enumeration of related content items.
listItem	list-item	listitem	<li>	A single item in an enumeration.
main		main		Content that is directly related to or expands upon the central topic of the document.
math		math	<math>	Content that represents a mathematical expression.
navigation		navigation	<nav>	Represents a section of a page that links to other pages or to parts within the page: a section with navigation links.
paragraph			<p>	Represents a paragraph.
preformatted			<pre>	Represents preformatted text which is to be presented exactly as written.
presentation		presentation or none		Represents an element being used only for presentation and therefore that does not have any accessibility semantics.
region		region		Represents content that is relevant to a specific, author-specified purpose and sufficiently important that users will likely want to be able to navigate to the section easily and to have it listed in a summary of the page.
row	table-row	row	<tr>	A row of data or content in a tabular structure.
rowheader		rowheader	<th> scoped to row	The header cell for a row, establishing a relationship between it and the other cells in the same row.
section			<section>	Represents a generic standalone section of a document, which doesn't have a more specific semantic element to represent it.
table	table	table	<table>	A structure containing data or content laid out in tabular form.
term	glossterm	term	<dfn> or <dt>	A word or phrase with a corresponding definition.
video			<video>	Embedded videos, movies, or audio files with captions in a document.

Inherited from DPUB ARIA 1.0

Role	ARIA equivalent	EPUB type equivalent	Definition
abstract	doc-abstract	abstract	A short summary of the principle ideas, concepts and conclusions of the work, or of a section or excerpt within it.
acknowledgments	doc-acknowledgments	acknowledgments	A section or statement that acknowledges significant contributions by persons, organizations, governments and other entities to the realization of the work.
afterword	doc-afterword	afterword	A closing statement from the author or a person of importance, typically providing insight into how the content came to be written, its significance, or related events that have transpired since its timeline.
appendix	doc-appendix	appendix	A section of supplemental information located after the primary content that informs the content but is not central to it.
backlink	doc-backlink	backlink	A link that allows the user to return to a related location in the content (e.g., from a footnote to its reference or from a glossary definition to where a term is used).
bibliography	doc-bibliography	bibliography	A list of external references cited in the work, which may be to print or digital sources.
biblioref	doc-biblioref	biblioref	A reference to a bibliography entry.
chapter	doc-chapter	chapter	A major thematic section of content in a work.
colophon	doc-colophon	colophon	A short section of production notes particular to the edition (e.g., describing the typeface used), often located at the end of a work.
conclusion	doc-conclusion	conclusion	A concluding section or statement that summarizes the work or wraps up the narrative.
cover	doc-cover	cover	An image that sets the mood or tone for the work and typically includes the title and author.
credit	doc-credit	credit	An acknowledgment of the source of integrated content from third-party sources, such as photos. Typically identifies the creator, copyright and any restrictions on reuse.
credits	doc-credits	credits	A collection of credits.
dedication	doc-dedication	dedication	An inscription at the front of the work, typically addressed in tribute to one or more persons close to the author.
endnotes	doc-endnotes	endnotes	A collection of notes at the end of a work or a section within it.
epigraph	doc-epigraph	epigraph	A quotation set at the start of the work or a section that establishes the theme or sets the mood.
epilogue	doc-epilogue	epilogue	A concluding section of narrative that wraps up or comments on the actions and events of the work, typically from a future perspective.
errata	doc-errata	errata	A set of corrections discovered after initial publication of the work, sometimes referred to as corrigenda.
example	doc-example	example	An illustration of the usage of a defined term or phrase.
footnote	doc-footnote	footnote	Ancillary information, such as a citation or commentary, that provides additional context to a referenced passage of text.
glossary	doc-glossary	glossary	A brief dictionary of new, uncommon, or specialized terms used in the content.
glossref	doc-glossref	glossref	A reference to a glossary definition.
index	doc-index	index	A navigational aid that provides a detailed list of links to key subjects, names and other important topics covered in the work.
introduction	doc-introduction	introduction	A preliminary section that typically introduces the scope or nature of the work.
noteref	doc-noteref	noteref	A reference to a footnote or endnote, typically appearing as a superscripted number or symbol in the main body of text.
notice	doc-notice	notice	Notifies the user of consequences that might arise from an action or event. Examples include warnings, cautions and dangers.
pagebreak	doc-pagebreak	pagebreak	A separator denoting the position before which a break occurs between two contiguous pages in a statically paginated version of the content.
pagelist	doc-pagelist	page-list	A navigational aid that provides a list of links to the pagebreaks in the content.
part	doc-part	part	A major structural division in a work that contains a set of related sections dealing with a particular subject, narrative arc or similar encapsulated theme.
preface	doc-preface	preface	An introductory section that precedes the work, typically written by the author of the work.
prologue	doc-prologue	prologue	An introductory section that sets the background to a work, typically part of the narrative.
pullquote	doc-pullquote	pullquote	A distinctively placed or highlighted quotation from the current content designed to draw attention to a topic or highlight a key point.
qna	doc-qna	qna	A section of content structured as a series of questions and answers, such as an interview or list of frequently asked questions.
subtitle	doc-subtitle	subtitle	An explanatory or alternate title for the work, or a section or component within it.
tip	doc-tip	tip	Helpful information that clarifies some aspect of the content or assists in its comprehension.
toc	doc-toc	toc	A navigational aid that provides an ordered list of links to the major sectional headings in the content. A table of contents may cover an entire work, or only a smaller section of it.

Inherited from EPUB 3 Structural Semantics Vocabulary 1.1

Role	EPUB type equivalent	Definition
landmarks	landmarks	A short summary of the principle ideas, concepts and conclusions of the work, or of a section or excerpt within it.
loa	loa	A listing of audio clips included in the work.
loi	loi	A listing of illustrations included in the work.
lot	lot	A listing of tables included in the work.
lov	lov	A listing of video clips included in the work.

List of skippable roles

Ancillary content

• aside
• bibliography
• endnotes
• footnote
• noteref
• pullquote

Navigation

• landmarks
• loa
• loi
• lot
• lov
• pagebreak
• toc

List of escapable roles

• aside
• figure
• list
• table