Plain Language Materials & Resources
Plain language makes it easier for everyone to understand and use health information. Although plain language is a familiar idea, many organizations don’t use it as often as they should. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires federal agencies to train staff to use plain language when they communicate with the public.
Plain Language Resources
Keep the reader in mind as you make decisions about organizing and formatting your health information and selecting the most appropriate words.
- Everyday Words for Public Health Communication
Use Everyday Words for Public Health Communication to reduce public health jargon. This tool lists terms that authors frequently use in public health materials and the terms’ common, everyday alternatives. The recommended alternatives come from CDC’s Health Literacy Council and other agency communicators. You can also see real-life examples of complex sentences and how our communicators revised them using common, everyday words.
- The Federal Plain Language Guidelines
The Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) is a community of federal employees dedicated to the idea that citizens deserve clear communications from government. PLAIN developed and continues to revise The Federal Plain Language Guidelines to provide updated advice on clear communication. - Plain Language at NIH
National Institutes of Health
NIH has established the Clear Communication initiative that focuses on achieving health literacy objectives. Their page on plain language has information about training and links to plain language resources.
Plain Language Examples
The following materials demonstrate use of plain language principles.
Stay Safe from COVID-19 won the 2022 ClearMark Award for Shorter Brochures and was part of the materials that won the Grand ClearMark Award.
- COVID-19 Materials for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Care Providers. These materials won the 2022 Grand ClearMark Award from the Center for Plain Language.
- Still Going Strong, a campaign to raise awareness about preventable injuries among older adults, won the 2022 ClearMark Award for Posters, Charts, and Fliers.
- Dengue Vaccine Poster [380 KB, 1 page] won the 2022 ClearMark Award in the Spanish Language category.
- Beneficios de comer saludable. These Spanish-language infographics illustrate the benefits of healthy eating to adults and children and won a 2022 ClearMark Award of Distinction.
- CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) helps make diabetes research more accessible to consumers by providing plain-language summaries of research reports. Read DDT’s research summaries for examples of how to revise technical jargon so that it’s easier to understand. Below each plain-language summary, you’ll find a link to the source.
Plain Language Promotional Materials
CDC is committed to using plain language with the public. We created Plain Language: Communication your audience understands the first time [178 KB, 1 page] to remind staff about plain language techniques. You can download it in the following sizes:
Use this material to promote the use of plain language in your own organization, share it with your partners, or create your own promotional materials.