Health Literacy: Plain Language

Glossaries in plain language for arthritis, asthma, and lupus.

A project of the University of Michigan Taubman Health Sciences Library.

From the CDC, this offers plain language equivalents to medical terms, phrases, and references.

Tips to consider when creating educational materials.

A guide to writing and designing easy-to-use health websites

Describes why plain language is a promising strategy for clearly communicating health information and improving health literacy.

Contains guidelines for creating plain language materials, an overview of the plain language movement, and tools for trainers.

This online tool calculates the grade level of written material

Provides a detailed and comprehensive sett of tolls to help make written material easier for people to read, understand, and use.

This is a one-stop shot for web designers to learn how to make websites more usable, useful, and accessible.

By Nancy M. Smith, former Director, SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Assistance, and Ann D. Wallace, former Senior Counsel to the Director, Division of Corporation Finance

Use this checklist to see if your document meets plain language standards.

On the web, people are in a hurry. They skim and scan, looking for quick answers to their questions. Help your readers quickly find what they need with these web writing tips.

Mary Dash, Chief of the Congressional Correspondence and Quality Review Branch of the Internal Revenue Service, wrote these excellent writing tips.

Includes checklists and handouts

Style guides for the federal government, state government, and international community.

Plain language has been around in the government for over 40 years. Here are some examples, both historical and current.

OCPL has established the NIH “Clear Communication” initiative that focuses on achieving two key objectives of health literacy: Providing information in the form and with the content that is accessible to specific audiences based on cultural respect. Incorporating plain language approaches and new technologies.