Wiki source code of Plain English

Version 3.2 by Cass Bonner on 2019/04/30 09:48
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2 (((
3 (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
4 Following this helps:
5
6 * **people in a hurry** – simply written content is easier to scan and absorb instantly
7 * **people who are stressed** – if you're anxious you find it harder to comprehend things
8 * **people who are multi-tasking** – if you're holding a baby or a running business your attention's divided
9 * **people with low literacy** – will not know meanings of complex vocabulary and terms
10 * **cognitive impairments** – words and sentences that are easy to understand carry less cognitive load
11 * **visual impairments** – short and simple sentences convey meaning in a smaller visual field
12 * **motor impairments** – clear, concise content is shorter so requires less navigation
13 )))
14
15
16 == Guidelines ==
17
18 Make content clear and understandable, to open the web up for users with different literacy levels and access challenges.
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20
21 (% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H" %)
22 [[1. Choose easy and short words not formal, long ones.>>doc:||anchor="#1"]]
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24 (% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H2.Jargonandbuzzwordsareunlikelytobeclearlanguage." %)
25 [[2. Jargon and buzzwords are unlikely to be clear language.>>doc:||anchor="#2"]]
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27 (% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H3.Writeconversationally." %)
28 [[3. Write conversationally, in first person, using the active voice.>>doc:||queryString="#3"]]
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30 (% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H4.Testyourcontentwithusers" %)
31 [[4. Test your content with users.>>doc:||anchor="#4"]]
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33 (% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
34 [[Usability evidence>>doc:||anchor="#UEPE"]]
35
36
37 ----
38
39 ===
40 {{id name="#1"/}}1. Choose easy and short words not formal, long ones. ===
41
42 Write for the reading comprehension of a 9 year old. This helps your content reach the most users. It also makes your content easier to scan read.
43
44 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) say: "using the clearest and simplest language appropriate is highly desirable." The United Nations recommends plain language for communications.
45
46
47 Examples:
48
49 (% class="mark" %)"buy"(%%) not "purchase"
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51 (% class="mark" %)"help"(%%) not "assist"
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53 (% class="mark" %)"about"(%%) not "approximately"
54
55
56 === {{id name="#2"/}}2. Jargon and buzzwords are unlikely to be clear language. ===
57
58 Often, these words are too general and vague and can lead to misinterpretation or empty, meaningless text. Avoid them. Instead, think about what the term actually means and describe that. Be open and specific.
59
60
61 Example:
62 "Let's touch base in 10 and do some blue sky thinking." This uses jargon.
63 (% class="mark" %)"Let's meet in 10 minutes to think of some ideas."(%%) Conveys same meaning using clear language.
64
65
66 === {{id name="#3"/}}3. Write conversationally, in first person, using the active voice. ===
67
68 Picture your audience and write as if you were talking directly to them, with the authority of someone who can help and inform.
69
70
71 === {{id name="#4"/}}4. Test your content with users. ===
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73 What is clear to you may not be for someone else.
74
75
76 ----
77
78 == {{id name="#UEPE"/}}Usability evidence: plain English ==
79
80 [[Guideline 3.1 Readable: Make text content readable and understandable.>>url:https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/meaning-supplements.html]], Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, 2008
81
82 [['Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities'>>url:http://templatelab.com/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/]], page 4 Article 2, Definitions, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 2018
83
84 [['Plain Language Is for Everyone, Even Experts'>>url:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/plain-language-experts/]], H. Loranger, Nielsen Norman Group, 2017
85
86 [['The Public Speaks: An Empirical Study of Legal Communication'>>url:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1843415]], C. R. Trudeau in 14 Scribes J. Leg. Writing 121. 2012
87
88 [[‘Guidelines for authoring comprehensible web pages and evaluating their success’>>http://core.ecu.edu/engl/tpc/MennoMenno/ftp/spyridakis%202000.pdf]], Spyridakis, J. H., Technical Communication, pp. 368 to 73, checklist pp. 376 to 8. 2000
89
90 [['Brevity. Note by the Prime Minister'>>https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/churchills-call-for-brevity/]], W. Churchill, 1940 and 1951
91
92 [['Writing content for everyone>>https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2016/02/23/writing-content-for-everyone/]]', Roz Strachan, Government Digital Service, 2016
93
94 [['Strengthening plain language'>>url:http://www.iplfederation.org/]], International Plain Language Federation. Undated.
95
96 [[Plain Language Commission style guide>>url:https://www.clearest.co.uk/plain-language-commission-style-guide]], Plain Language Commission, 2011
97
98 [['The principles of readability'>>url:http://www.impact-information.com/impactinfo/readability02.pdf]], Impact Information, William H. DuBay, 2004
99
100 [[Plain language entry>>url:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_language]], Wikipedia, last updated 2018
101
102 [[‘Technical language, advice understandability, and perceptions of expertise and trustworthiness: the case of the financial planner’>>https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/031289620202700102]], Joiner, T.A., Australian Journal of Management, 27, 1, pp. 25 to 45. 2002. Locked.
103
104 ‘[[Comprehension of legal contracts by non-experts: effectiveness of plain language redrafting>>https://web.uvic.ca/psyc/masson/MW94.pdf]]', Masson, M.E.J. and M.A. Waldron, Applied Cognitive Psychology, 8,19. 1994
105
106 [[‘More individual difference in language attainment: how much do adult native speakers know about passives and quantifiers’>>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024384110000185]], Street, J. and E. Dabrowska, Lingua, 120, pp. 2080 to 94. 2010. Locked.
107
108 [[‘Problems in public documents’>>https://benjamins.com/catalog/idj.2.3-4.02ros]], Rose, A., Information Design Journal, 2/3, 4, pp. 179 to 196. 1981. Locked.
109
110 [[‘What makes a good document? The criteria we use’>>https://www.reading.ac.uk/web/files/simplification/SC2CriteriaGoodDoc-7.pdf]], Waller, R., Simplification Centre Technical paper no. 2, Reading: University of Reading, 2011
111
112 [[‘Revising functional documents: the scenario principle’>>https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED192345]], Flower, L., Hayes J. R., and Swarts, H., in P. V. Anderson, R. J. Brockman and C. R. Miller (eds) New essays in technical and scientific communication: research, theory and practice, Farmingdale, NY: Baywood Publishing Co, pp. 109 to 36. 1983. Locked.
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114
115 ----
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117 (% class="box" %)
118 (((
119 See also:
120
121 * [[Simple sentences>>doc:Plain English.Simple sentences.WebHome]]
122 * [[Specialist terms>>doc:Plain English.Specialist terms.WebHome||anchor="st"]]
123 * [[Law, medicine, money>>doc:Plain English.Medical.WebHome]]
124 * [[Words to avoid>>doc:Plain English.Words to avoid.WebHome]]
125 )))