Web Requirements

Responsibilities of Publishers

Publishers of pages on UTMB’s Internet servers are responsible for:

• abiding by UTMB’s web publishing, accessibility  and identity standards, and complying with applicable State of Texas web requirements;
• adhering to the minimum required elements for all sites published from or linked to UTMB web servers [see requirements below];
• registering sites and reviewing content on a scheduled cycle, regularly updating and keeping published information current and accurate;
• offering readers pages that represent professional design and quality presentation, that are responsive (accessible from any device) and that feature a good user interface;
• understanding and complying with copyright, privacy, intellectual property and libel laws; and
• responding in a timely fashion to inquiries and comments directed at one’s published material.

Although significant efforts are made to ensure the reliability of the information presented, the university cannot guarantee the complete accuracy and dependability of all the information stored on or retrieved from its Internet and intranet servers.

Web pages that give access to or collect any personal, confidential or sensitive data must contain protection from unauthorized access and incorporate appropriate security measures in their design. All pages are required to post a link to the university’s privacy statement.

Pages hosted on UTMB web servers and posted by UTMB web publishers should be “generally accessible” as outlined in state and university policies. Web pages should load quickly, be free of errors, feature “alt tags,” text-based representations and other features to make the content available to the visually impaired and to aid in search.

UTMB web publishers represent the institution and are responsible for the pages they publish, as well as the links they offer to other resources. Page publishers should not be directing visitors to non-operative sites, to out-of-date sites, or to sites containing irrelevant or inappropriate content. Content providers and page publishers are expected to abide by the highest standards of quality and responsibility.

Compliance and Complaint Resolution Process

Fundamentally, these guidelines rely on personal responsibility and professionalism on the part of web publishers. For these guidelines to function as intended and to advance the aims of the institution, each publisher must take personal and collective responsibility for what is posted.

Institutionally, pages are evaluated for compliance at the time they are initially built, by a designated representative (of the Internet Technology Committee/ITC) in each mission area, and are subject to random review thereafter.

Each page is also required to be reviewed at least annually; a system tied to the inventory tool will help developers track and manage their page reviews. Sites must be “signed off” as compliant at least annually by the site owner and the site developer or author.

The building and maintenance of the systems to manage reviews and the site inventory is a task charged jointly to Information Services and the Office of Marketing and Communications, along with representatives from each mission area, as part of the ITC.

Addressing missing, inaccurate or improperly executed elements should always be a priority. If contacted with a correction or requested update, publishers should review and make the appropriate required change promptly. If appropriate corrective measures are not taken within an agreed-upon time, the institutional link will be severed and web server privileges may be forfeited.

Required Elements for Sites Published from or Linked to UTMB Web Servers

The following elements need to be included on any official page hosted or managed by UTMB Health or any of its entities:

Web sites and applications are required to use one of the institutional web templates. The templates offer ‘turnkey’ compliance for a number of important web requirements:

• the university branding (UTMB logo, colors and style);
• responsive and mobile first design, including issues affecting user interface and experience considerations*;
• consistent design elements including navigation;
• the name and contact information for a site owner;
• copyright designation and required links to the home page, privacy and other policies.

Templates are built into the university’s content management system (CMS). The templates are also available in multiple formats for use outside the CMS.

Exceptions to the use of the templates will be considered only with an exceptionally strong business case; requests for an exemption should be shared with the Internet Technology Committee (ITC) to be vetted by university leadership.

In addition to the use of the templates, UTMB’s pages are required to use basic descriptive meta tags, page titles, descriptions and alt tags to aid with search and accessibility.

It’s required that the university’s web sites and those that build/manage them be registered in UTMB’s Site Inventory. Scheduled site review for every page is required at least annually.

To access the web templates, learn more about the content management system, or get additional details on these requirements, visit the UTMB Web Developer Resources site.

* Sites using newer, but non-responsive, templates should be phased in to the new mobile-friendly templates during 2016 if possible.