Free Plain Language Resources You'll Want to Use Today

I shared this (non-comprehensive) list of plain language tools, booklets, checklists, and organizations during a recent meeting of Plain Language Weekly on Clubhouse.

Do you have a favorite plain language resource? Let me know, and I'll add it to this list!

Plain Language Reources

1. Before and After Plain Language Rewrites (Transcend Translations).?https://www.transcend.net/services/PL/beforeAfter.html
2. “Clear Writing Assessment” (CDC). “Your document might not be as clear and helpful as you think. Use this 12-question assessment tool to test if your materials are clear.”?https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/clearwriting/docs/Clear_Writing_Assessment-508.pdf
3. Everyday Words for Public Health Communication (CDC). With this tool, you can drop in a word and it’ll give you a plain language synonym, or you can use the Everyday Words A-Z Index. (CDC)?https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/everydaywords/
4. “Going public: Writing about research in everyday language” (Dept of Ed). This booklet shows how writers can make research more accessible to decision-makers: making concepts as simple as possible, focusing on what readers need to know, and reducing misinterpretations.?https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/REL2014051/pdf/REL_2014051.pdf
5. Health Literacy Online: A Guide for Simplifying the User Experience (Health.gov). This research-based guide helps you develop health websites and digital tools that can be easily accessed and understood by all users, including those with low literacy skills.?https://health.gov/healthliteracyonline/
6. "How to write in plain English," an online guide by the Plain English Campaign, which looks at "...the main ways to make writing clearer." https://www.plainenglish.co.uk/how-to-write-in-plain-english.html. (Thanks for suggesting this resource, Alissa Schaub-Rimel.)
7. “Making Data Talk: A Workbook” (National Cancer Institute).?https://www.cancer.gov/publications/health-communication/making-data-talk.pdf
8. “Making regulations readable” (NARA)?https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/write/plain-language/readable-regulations.html
9. “Plain Language Resources for 100% Access,” a detailed resource list provided by the Self-Represented Litigation Network (SLRN), a group of??“…lawyers and allied professionals working to make the civil legal system fair and accessible to people without lawyers.”?https://www.srln.org/node/150/srln-brief-plain-language-resources-100-access-srln-2015
10. Plain Language Checklist (CDC), which is available in three sizes: 8.5 x 11, 4 x 6, and 22 x 36?https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/pdf/checklist-H.pdf
11. "Plain Language Commission style guide," which is a "Free 8,000-word booklet giving ...detailed recommendations on house style..." by the Plain Language Commission in the U.K. https://clearest.co.uk/plain-language-commission-style-guide/. (Thanks for suggesting this resource, Deborah Bosley!)
12. “Readability Test,” an online tool that “…uses the Flesch Kincaid reading ease test, the Flesch Kincaid grade level test, the Gunning Fog score, the Coleman Liau index, the Automated Readability Index (ARI), and the SMOG index to help you better understand how easy your content is to understand.”?https://www.webfx.com/tools/read-able/
13. Self-Guided Online Training: “Plain Language: Getting Started or Brushing Up” (NIH). This website consists of five sections and a checklist you can print. In each section, you will find a number of cards you can flip through to learn about using plain language in your work. When you are done, you can print a certificate of completion.?https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/plain-language/plain-language-getting-started-or-brushing
14. Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective (CMS). An 11-part toolkit to help you make written material easier for people to read, understand, and use.?https://www.cms.gov/outreach-and-education/outreach/writtenmaterialstoolkit
15. “Writing in Plain Language” resource list (UNC Health Sciences Library).?https://hsl.lib.unc.edu/health-literacy/plain-language-resources/??

Plain Language Organizations

1. Center for Plain Language. “We help government, non-profit, and business organizations create findable, understandable, and useful content.”?https://www.centerforplainlanguage.org
2. Clarity International. “…Clarity is the largest organization of its kind, with more than 650 members in 50 countries.”?https://www.clarity-international.org
3. Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) is the international association for plain language supporters and practitioners around the world. Their network includes members from over 30 countries working in clear communication in at least 15 languages.?https://plainlanguagenetwork.org
4. The Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) “…is an unfunded working group of federal employees from different agencies and specialties who support the use of clear communication in government writing.”??https://www.plainlanguage.gov

Plain Language Consultants?

1. Deborah Bosley's The Plain Language Group. “Founded in 2000, The Plain Language Group works with Fortune 500/1000 corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and higher education. TPLG primarily serves the financial, technology, healthcare, and compliance sectors.”?https://www.theplainlanguagegroup.com