Principles of plain language

Organize the information

Guide them through the information

Think about what your audience knows about the situation or topic you’re writing about. Then, guide them through the information they need to know. To help you do this, try answering the following questions:

• Who is my audience?
• What does my audience already know about the subject?
• What does my audience need to know?
• What questions will my audience have?
• What’s the best outcome for my agency? What do I need to say to get this outcome?
• What’s the best outcome for our audience? What do I need to say to get this outcome?

Make it easy to follow

Organization is key. Start by stating your purpose and the bottom line. Lay things out in a logical order. 

• Put the most important information at the beginning.
• Include background information (when necessary) toward the end.

People read government websites and documents to get answers quickly. They want to know how to do something or what happens if they don’t do something. Organize your writing so it’s easy to follow along.

For lengthy and complex documents, create a comprehensive table of contents or links to subheads. Your list should be a reliable roadmap that users can follow to quickly find what they need.

Process order

Writing information in the order in which things happen is best for process information. This is often common for regulations. 

For example, the process of applying for a government benefit program might look like this:

1. You fill out an application to get a benefit.
2. You submit the application.
3. The agency reviews the application.
4. The agency makes a decision on the application.

Present the steps in chronological order, in the order your user and your agency will follow them. The table of contents below is organized in a logical sequence for a grant program.

General first. Exceptions, conditions, and specialized information later.

Another useful approach puts general information first in a document or website. That way, the material that addresses most readers in most situations comes first. Later, you can address specialized information. This can be combined with other principles, like chronological organization, or be the primary organizing principle.

See the approach in the following example: