For Staff

Writing in Plain Language

CRC staff are happy to help you use plain language guidelines to write, design and/or test your patient education materials. We can tell you what you need to know, when you need to know it.

But if you want more information or background, below is a basic reference and tips for writing in plain language.

For more detail click on the links below or visit our  Writing in Plain Language - How To  page (which includes Why Plain Language? and Plain Language- What it Is and Is Not).

Easy Print/Take along version of this page

• Principles
  • Explain purpose and limit content.
  • Involve the reader.
  • Make it easy to read.
  • Make it look easy to read.
  • Select visuals that clarify and motivate.

• Techniques
  • Emphasize the desired behavior rather than the medical facts. Education is more important than information.
  • Have just one or two educational objectives – what the reader needs to learn and do.
  • Use clear headings, bullets instead of paragraphs, and ample white space (a Q&A format works especially well).
  • Use short sentences and conversational language.
  • Use pictures and examples to illustrate important points.

• Content – The Basics
  • Be prepared to edit and revise
  • Use simple, everyday words
  • Cut out unnecessary words
  • Avoid or explain technical words
  • Keep it short
  • Emphasize the positive
  • Write in active voice
  • Use personal pronouns
  • Keep it Simple
  • Make it Easy to Scan

• Content – The Next Level
  
  (Once you're familiar with the basic content suggestions, try adding these to your plain language repetoire.)
  • Don't change verbs into nouns
  • Avoid double negatives
  • Avoid unnecessary preambles
  • Avoid unnecessary qualifiers or redundancies
  • Be careful with modifiers
  • Be aware of commonly misused word pairs
  • Use parallel construction
  • Use point form and lists appropriately

• Design
  • Font: Use serif font for text, sans serif font for titles. Size- 12-14 pt, 10 pt. minimum for text
  • Justify the left margin only
  • Leave white space
  • Use graphics/illustrations when appropriate

• Testing
  Consider testing your document. Only your readers can tell you if your writing is useful, relevant and readable. The CRC can help.
• For More Information - references and more detail