Anuj Sadani / Field Guide

Language & documentation · Standard-informed practice

Plain language

Help the intended reader find, understand, and use the information they need.

Introductory · 3 drills · Reviewed 2026-10-24

See an examplePractise

What it helps you do

Make a document serve its reader’s real situation, including navigation, relevance, vocabulary, and action.

Starting knowledge: No specialist knowledge is required.

  • Identify the reader and the question they need answered.
  • Put necessary information where the reader expects to find it.
  • Use familiar wording while explaining indispensable technical terms.

The problem it came from

Plain-language practice spans public communication, administration, and technical writing. ISO 24495-1:2023 established international governing principles and guidelines.

The standard addresses primarily textual information and applies across written languages. This page uses its public description and original examples; it does not reproduce the standard.

Work through an example

STARTING POINT
Pursuant to the revised attendance provisions, participants are requested to effect registration prior to the indicated closing date.
APPLYING THE APPROACH
Register for the workshop by Friday, 5 June. Use the registration form. If you need help completing it, contact the organizer.
  • The action and deadline come first.
  • The support route is stated instead of assuming every reader can use the form.
  • The date and contact route are example facts and must be supplied for real use.

Where it helps. Where it stops.

Use it when

  • Public notices, event instructions, guidance pages, and explanations for a new audience.
  • A document is accurate but readers cannot find the action or deadline.

Potential benefits

  • Task-centered ordering can make a document easier to use without removing detail.
  • Explicit definitions support access for readers outside the author’s specialty.

Limits and common mistakes

  • Plain language does not mean writing for children or imposing one reading age.
  • A readability score does not establish usefulness, accessibility, or factual accuracy.
Applying it with AI

The prompt below asks for this structure. It does not guarantee accuracy, complete coverage, better learning, or conformance to a standard. Treat those outcomes as separate checks.

Practise the judgment

Try a choice, inspect a boundary, then explain a case yourself. Hints and answers are available whenever you need them.

DRILL 01 Not attempted

Which question should come first when rewriting a notice?

Choose one answer
Hint

Start with the reader’s situation.

Explained answer

Best answer for this case: Who needs this information and what will they do with it?

Purpose and audience guide selection, order, and vocabulary. Sentence length is only one consideration.

Link to this drill
DRILL 02 Not attempted

A clear notice says “Submit by Friday” but gives no submission method. What is missing?

Choose one answer
Hint

Think beyond easy wording.

Explained answer

Best answer for this case: Information needed to act

Understanding the deadline is insufficient if the reader cannot complete the task.

Link to this drill
DRILL 03 Not attempted

A newcomer cannot find where to cancel a booking. What would you change before rewriting every sentence?

Hint

Consider structure before word substitution.

Explained answer & self-review rubric

Add a clearly labeled cancellation route where booking information appears; state the deadline, consequences, and help route. Then test whether a newcomer can complete the task.

  • Improve findability
  • Preserve conditions and consequences
  • Check actual use with a reader
Link to this drill

Take it into your own work

Manual template

Use this structure yourself, with a colleague, or in your preferred writing tool.

# Reader-centered document
Who is reading?
What do they need to do or understand?
Main answer:
Action and deadline:
Details in reader order:
Terms to explain:
Help or next step:
Download template (.md)

Review the result

  • Can the intended reader find the main answer?
  • Are necessary terms explained?
  • Can someone use the information without guessing?
Use this approach with your own AI tool
Help me apply Plain language to the material below.
Reader and existing knowledge: [describe]
Task and desired outcome: [describe]
Use these principles: Identify the reader and the question they need answered.; Put necessary information where the reader expects to find it.; Use familiar wording while explaining indispensable technical terms..
Preserve source facts, identifiers, quantities, conditions, exceptions, and uncertainty.
Separate supplied facts from assumptions. Ask for missing information instead of inventing it.
Explain your representation choices and provide a review checklist. Do not claim formal compliance or correctness from formatting alone.
Material: [paste only information you are permitted to share]
Download prompt

Go to the source

History and the underlying approach are grounded in these references. Examples, prompts, and practice cases here are original educational adaptations. Edition-specific details should be checked against the referenced publication.

Last editorial review: 2026-10-24. An overview is not certification, and this guide is not a reproduction of a standard.