Editing Plain language (section)

==Guidelines and tips==

Writers who wish to write in plain language must first and foremost consider their target audience.<ref name="centerforplainlanguage.org"/>  This should influence what information is included in the text and how it is written.<ref name="centerforplainlanguage.org"/>  Different audiences have different needs, and require different information.<ref name="centerforplainlanguage.org"/>  When writing, it is important to consider what the target audience needs to accomplish, and what and how much information they need to complete it.<ref name="centerforplainlanguage.org"/>  The needs of the target audience will also affect the chosen vocabulary: writing for someone in the same field as the author is different from writing for someone whose native language is not English.<ref name="Government Services Canada 2014">Public Works and Government Services Canada. (2014). 13 Plain Language. The Canadian Style. Retrieved from : http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tcdnstyl-chap?lang=eng&lettr=chapsect13&info0=13</ref>

Provide informative headings, topic sentences, and frequent summaries to help orient the reader. For complex documents, create a comprehensive table of contents.<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Byrne |first1=D |title=Writing Government Policies and Procedures in Plain Language |journal=Business Communication Quarterly |date=2008 |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=88–92 |doi=10.1177/1080569907313376|s2cid=168142843 }}</ref>

Organize the text logically: [[Inverted_pyramid_(journalism)|the most important information should be mentioned first, in the text as a whole and in every individual paragraph]].<ref name="Government Services Canada 2014" />  Headings help the reader skim the text more rapidly to find what they're looking for.<ref name="centerforplainlanguage.org" />  Sentences should be kept short, and only include necessary information.<ref name="centerforplainlanguage.org" />  A long, verbose sentence tends to present too much information at once, and blurs its main point.<ref name="Government Services Canada 2014" />  The text should be direct and concise, and have an easy flow to it.<ref name="centerforplainlanguage.org" />

The chosen vocabulary must remain simple and familiar.<ref name="Government Services Canada 2014" />  Everyday language should be favoured against acronyms, jargon and legal language.<ref name="plainlanguagenetwork.org" />  Plain language favours the use of the verb form of the word, instead of the noun form.<ref name="plainlanguagenetwork.org" />  To increase clarity, use the active voice, in which the subject does the action of the verb.<ref name="Government Services Canada 2014" />  Sentences written in plain language have a positive construction and address the reader directly.<ref name="plainlanguagenetwork.org" />

Writing in plain language also takes into account the presentation of the text.  It is important to choose a font that is easy to read, and set it to an adequate size.<ref name="Government Services Canada 2014" />  Sentences written in capital letters are harder to read because the letters are less distinguishable from one another.<ref name="Government Services Canada 2014" />  Simple design elements like leaving white spaces, using bullets, and choosing contrasting colours encourages a user to read the text and increases readability.<ref name="btb.termiumplus.gc.ca" />