Garbl's Plain Language Writing Guide

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Other plain-English resources

For more information about plain English/plain language, concise writing and global English, check out the online and print resources below and Garbl's Concise Writing Guide, which provides simpler alternatives to wordy, verbose, overstated or pompous words and phrases.

U.S.government| Other governments| Other organizations| Print and web

Plain-language programs of U.S.government agencies

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: EPA Plain Language Initiative
• Federal Register: Plain Language Tools, U.S. National Archives & Records Administration
• Fish and Wildlife Service: Plain Language, U.S. Department of the Interior
• National Institutes of Health: The Plain Language Initiative, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Writing Web Content (PDF): Research-Based Web Design and Usability Guidelines, Usability.gov. 

U.S. Plain Language Action and Information Network--a government-wide group of federal employees working to improve communications from the government to the public. The group originated with a presidential memorandum on plain language in June 1998.

Federal Plain Language Guidelines--major guidance document of the U.S. Plain Language Action and Information Network to help federal government employees write plain-language documents that readers understand on first reading.

Plain Language Online Training--free interactive program developed by the National Institute of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (use the Browse button for non-NIH employees)

Plain Language: A Handbook for Writers in the U.S. Federal Government, Richard Lauchman (PDF, 287KB)

Other governmentwebsites

• Plain Language Campaign--Florida Department of Management Services
• Plain Language Works Best--Los Angeles County, Quality and Productivity Commission
• Easy-to-Read NYC: Guidelines for Clear and Effective Communication (PDF)--New York City, Mayor's Office of Adult Education/Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs
• Writing for Easy Reading--Department of Administrative Services, State of Oregon
• Plain Language Project--Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, Texas
• Various Plain English Statutes--New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Minnesota, California
• Plain Talk, Governor's Office, Washington State--guidelines, examples, resources and the governor's executive order requiring all state agencies to use simple and clear language when communicating with citizens and businesses.
• Plain Talk at Ecology--principles, resources and other information on writing clearly at the Washington State Department of Ecology.
• Plain Language--Communications Nova Scotia, Canada.
• Clear Writing--Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs, Canada 
• Plain Language: Papers and documents on using plain language--Office of Parliamentary Counsel, Australia.
• Making written information easier to understand for people with learning disabilities(PDF)--Office of Disability Issues, Department of Health, United Kingdom
• How to Write Clearly(PDF)--European Commission of the European Union.
• " The importance of well-drafted originals in plain language in the multilingual European Union" (PDF)--speech by Leonard Orban, European commissioner for multiculturalism, European Union

Other organizations

• Plain Language Association InterNational--a volunteer group of plain-language advocates and professionals in public, nonprofit and private organizations. PLAIN's website provides free articles, tutorials and web links about writing, government programs, legal resources, literacy, and other related topics.
• Plain Train: Plain Language Online Training--helpful tips and techniques for improving your communication skills with the use of plain language.
• Center for Plain Language--a U.S.-based nonprofit membership organization of people in government, academia and business who are dedicated to promoting and supporting the use of plain language in the public and private sectors.
• Clarity--an international association promoting plain legal language.
• Plain Language Commission--a private organization in the United Kingdom that offers free articles on writing, readability, jargon, standards of English, legal English and grammar.

Other print and web references

• An Introduction to Plain Language, Cheryl Stephens, co-founder of Plain Language Association InterNational
• Answering the Critics of Plain Language, Professor Joseph Kimble
• The Complete Plain Words, Ernest Gowers, revised by Sidney Greenbaum and Janet Whitcut
• The Dictionary of Concise Writing: More Than 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases, Robert Hartwell Fiske
• Edit Yourself: A Manual for Everyone Who Works with Words, Bruce Ross-Larson
• The Elements of International English Style: A Guide to Writing Correspondence, Reports, Technical Documents and Internet Pages for a Global Audience, Edmond H. Weiss
• From Plain English to Global English, Rachel McAlpine
• Global English for Global Business, Rachel McAlpine
• The Global English Style Guide: Writing Clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global Market, John R. Kohl
• Legal Writing in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner, author of Garner's Modern American Usage | Exercises from Legal Writing in Plain English
• Oxford Guide to Plain English, Martin Cutts, leader of the Plain Language Commission and co-founder of the Plain English Campaign. An excellent, easy-to-use resource!
• The Plain English Approach to Business Writing, Edward P. Bailey Jr.
• Plain English at Work: A Guide to Writing and Speaking, Edward P. Bailey Jr.--includes The Plain English Approach to Business Writing)
• Plain English Lexicon: A guide to whether your words will be understood(free PDF download), Martin Cutts, Plain Language Commission, United Kingdom
• Plain Style: Techniques for Simple, Concise, Emphatic Business Writing, Richard Lauchman--author of Plain Language: A Handbook for Writers in the U.S. Federal Government(listed above under Plain-language programs of U.S. government agencies)
• "Using Microsoft Word's Readability Program"(PDF)-- Michigan Bar Journal, January 2009.
• Write Tight: How to Keep Your Prose Sharp, Focused and Concise, William Brohaugh
• Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please, Professor Joseph Kimble
• Writing for the Web 3.0, Crawford Kilian

This page updated July 11, 2012.

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