Writing information that is clear and easy to understand

Remember that your reader may not be familiar with the language and systems you use every day. Think about what they need to know and what is helpful.

• Don't add unnecessary information. Your audience is not usually interested in why a communication has been produced, who has produced it, or what it replaces 
• Avoid jargon. If you use acronyms, spell out the full meaning the first time it appears on a page, followed by the acronym in brackets 
• Use titles and subtitles to organise the information and guide the reader 
• Try to be consistent in how you punctuate, capitalise and organise your text. You want your reader to focus on the message, not be distracted by inconsistencies. Some words, like organise/minimise can be written with an 's' or a 'z' - be consistent about spelling too
• Avoid a numeral at the beginning of a sentence. Spell out numbers up to ten, use numerals thereafter except in statistical material where two systems would seem odd
• Include contact details and/or website links so the reader can find out more or take the next step 
• Include the date of issue 

Punctuation

Punctuate simply and consistently. Do not use:

• Punctuation at the end of each item of a bulleted list, even when the last item forms a full sentence
• An apostrophe in plurals of acronyms and numbers - CCGs, 1940s
• An ampersand (&) - Great Yarmouth and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group
• Semi-colons (;)

Use hyphens when:

• an adjective is made up of more than one word and is written before the noun - short-term support
• there is a risk of mispronouncing a word - co-worker but coordinator doesn't need one
• to make meaning clear, for example, recreation or re-creation

Use dashes when:

• separating a phrase within a sentence - perhaps to break up the text, or add emphasis - instead of commas or brackets, with a space either side of the dash
• giving a range of figures - 30-40, without a space either side 

Accessibility

Always follow your organisation's guidelines around accessibility. For easy-to-read text use: 

• Sans-serif fonts - Norfolk County Council prefers Arial
• Font size no smaller than 12pt - or 16pt if you are communicating with people who have a learning disability or a visual impairment
• Lower case as much as possible. Unnecessary capital letters make text difficult to read. Only use capital letters if without them, the word(s) could mean something else. For example, short breaks/Short Breaks, local offer/SEND Local Offer. Do not put whole words in CAPITALS
• Avoid underlining and using italics
• Use bold if you want to emphasise a word or heading. If your information will be presented digitally use label headings (H1, H2, H3 in Word) so a screen reader can identify them
• Text on a plain background. Don't overlay words on pictures
• Image tags, so that when displayed digitally, people with screen readers can understand what they are 
• Descriptive hyperlinks that make it clear in digital versions where the link will take your reader. For example, don't use instructions such as 'click here'. On paper copies write the weblink in full but use a 'friendly URL' if possible

You will also find our guide on how to create accessible content helpful.