Editing Plain language (section)

== Purposes ==

=== Reading comprehension ===
Proponents of plain language adoption argue that it improves reading comprehension and readability, and grants readers greater access to information.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Cheung|first=I. W.|date=December 2017|title=Plain Language to Minimize Cognitive Load: A Social Justice Perspective|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8110648|journal=IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication|volume=60|issue=4|pages=448–457|doi=10.1109/TPC.2017.2759639|s2cid=37605494|issn=1558-1500}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> Simple language allows documents to be read and understood by a larger audience, as plain language adoption often involves rewriting very technical and field-specific documents, like legal and medical documents.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Williams|first=Christopher|title=Legal English and Plain Language: an introduction|url=https://www.academia.edu/1620382|language=en}}</ref>

=== Accessibility ===
Some scholars promote plain language use as a means of making documents accessible, especially for disabled readers or those who lack the expertise and education to understand overly technical documents. Simpler language can decrease a reader's cognitive load, and improve information retention in readers who normally struggle to read complex documents.<ref name=":2" /> Changes in font, text size, and colour can make texts more readable for individuals with impaired vision.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The case for the use of plain English to increase web accessibility {{!}} Request PDF|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3939793|access-date=2020-11-17|website=ResearchGate|language=en}}</ref> Some scholars view plain language from a social justice perspective as a means of increasing equal access to information, especially for marginalized populations that might have decreased access to education.<ref name=":2" />

=== Ethical action ===
While plain language has positive practical outcomes across many situations, it can also be understood within the framework of ethical action.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Willerton |first=Russell |title=Plain Language and Ethical Action |publisher=Routledge |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-415-74104-0 |location=United States |pages=55–75}}</ref> While not all plain language practitioners and scholars agree that "Plain language is a civil right", as the motto for the US-based Center for Plain Language declares, many practitioners agree that using plain language is part of ethical action, such as being responsive, respectful, honest, truthful and fair. On the other hand, plain language can also be used for unethical ends, such as to obscure or withhold truths. Willerton proposes the BUROC framework for identifying situations requiring the ethical action of plain language: bureaucratic, unfamiliar, rights-oriented, critical.<ref name=":4" />

===Legal action===
The United States' [[Federal Rules of Civil Procedure]] require a [[Ccause of action|claim for relief]] to include "a short and plain statement of the grounds for the court’s [[jurisdiction]]", and "a short and plain statement of the claim". A party claiming a [[defense (legal)|defense]] to a claim must state its defense "in short and plain terms".<ref>The National Court Rules Committee, [https://www.federalrulesofcivilprocedure.org/frcp/title-iii-pleadings-and-motions/rule-8-general-rules-of-pleading/ Federal Rules of Civil Procedure: Rule 8 – General Rules of Pleading], 2024 edition, accessed on 6 March 202</ref>