Resources

There are a variety of books, articles, videos, and journals that provide different perspectives on the value of plain language in areas as diverse as science, government regulation, and law. Find useful writing tips and fresh points of view from today’s plain language innovators.

The material available about plain language is extensive and can be confusing. Here are some basic resources to get you started:

• Checklist for Plain Language

• Checklist for Plain Language on the Web

• Plain English at a Glance is a concise discussion that will give you essential skills for creating a visually inviting, logically organized, and easily understandable document.

• Mary Dash, Chief of the Congressional Correspondence and Quality Review Branch of the Internal Revenue Service, wrote these excellent writing tips. Like the quick tips, they give you more detail about some important plain language basics.