Research Guides: Health Literacy: Speak Plain Language: What is plain language?

What is "plain language?"

Plain language (also called Plain English) is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. Language that is plain to one set of readers may not be plain to others. Material is in plain language if your audience can:

Find what they need
Understand what they find the first time they read or hear it
Use what they find to meet their needs

Source: PlainLangague.gov

Guidelines

Federal Plain Language Guidelines by the Plain Language Action and Information Network
Publication Date: March 2011 (Revision 1 May 2011)
Provides updated advice on clear communication.

Plain Language Tools

Plain Language Medical Dictionary
From the University of Michigan, use this tool to search for a medical term to get a plain language definition. It also offers a paragraph "translation" where you can copy/paste a body of text and the tool will highlight words found in the main glossary and give the plain language definition of those words.
Everyday Words for Public Health Communication
Offers expert recommendations from CDC's Health Literacy Council and other agency communicators on how to reduce jargon and improve readers' understanding. You can search for public health jargon or plain language words and find alternatives and example sentences.
NCEH/ATSDR Clear Writing Hub
From the National Center for Environmental Health, this site includes clear writing training modules, clear writing tips, and an environmental health thesaurus to find plain language substitutes, tips, and examples.

Plain Language Websites

PlainLanguage.gov
Designed to improve communication from the Federal Government to the public, this site contains excellent tools and examples of plain language.
Plain Language Materials & Resources
Plain language resources, materials, and checklist from the Health Literacy section of the CDC.
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-274)
An act to enhance citizen access to Government information and services by establishing that Government documents issued to the public must be written clearly, and for other purposes.
Plain Writing at Work
Examples using plain language from the FDA.
Plain Language Tools
The Office of the Federal Register (OFR) offers these resources to help writers comply with the Plain Writing Act of 2010 and Presidential Memorandum of June 1, 1998 – Plain Language in Government Writing.
Plain Language at NIH
Part of the NIH mission is to reach all Americans with health information they can use and to communicate in a way that helps people easily understand research results. The NIH fully supports the Plain Language initiative, which has its origins in a Federal directive that requires agencies to incorporate plain language elements in the development of communications materials for the public. The NIH is committed to the use of plain language in all new documents written for the public, other government entities, and fellow workers.