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We are currently revising content on plainlanguage.gov, including the federal guidelines, training materials, and other online resources. We’ve temporarily paused accepting training requests until after this update is complete. We hope to resume training later in the fall 2023.

Plain Language in the Sciences

A recent National Science Foundation study shows that:

  • Fewer than 50% of adults understand that the Earth orbits the sun yearly.
  • Only 21% of adults can define DNA.
  • Only 9% of adults know what a molecule is.
  • One in 7 adults—25 million people—cannot locate the US on an unlabeled map.
  • A third of Americans believe in astrology—and do not understand that astrology is not scientific.

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