Other plain-language resources

For more information about plain language, check out the resources listed below or contact Gary Larson at gary.larson@kingcounty.gov.

Plain-language initiative of Washington state government (external links):

• Plain Talk, Governor's Office--guidelines, examples, resources and the governor's executive order requiring all state agencies to use simple and clear language when communicating with citizens and businesses.
• Plain Talk at Ecology--principles, resources and other information on writing clearly at the state Department of Ecology.
• From gobbledygook to plain English: How a large state agency took on the bureaucratic form letter--state Department of Labor and Industries (PDF, 90KB).

Plain-language programs of U.S. government agencies (external links):

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: EPA Plain Language Initiative
• Federal Aviation Administration: FAA's Plain Language Program
• Fish and Wildlife Service: Plain Language, U.S. Department of the Interior
• Federal Register: Plain Language Tools, U.S. National Archives & Records Administration
• Health Resources and Services Administration: Plain Language Principles and Thesaurus for Making HIPAA Privacy Notices More Readable, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• National Institutes of Health: The Plain Language Initiative, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: SEC Adopts Plain English Disclosure Proposal

U.S. Plain Language Action and Information Network (external link)--a government-wide group of federal employees working to improve communications from the government to the public. The group originated with a presidential memorandum on plain language in June 1998.

Writing Reader-Friendly Documents (external link)--major guidance document of the U.S. Plain Language Action and Information Network to help federal government employees write plain-language documents that readers understand on first reading.

Plain Language Online Training (external link)--free interactive program developed by the National Institute of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (use the Browse button for non-NIH employees)

Plain Language: A Handbook for Writers in the U.S. Federal Government , Richard Lauchman (PDF, 287KB, external link)

Back to home page of King County plain-language writing guide

Other government Web sites (external links):

• Plain Language: Papers and documents on using plain language--Office of Parliamentary Counsel, Australia.
• Plain English Manual: Topics include Planning the draft, Good writing habits, Traditional practices to avoid, and Aids to understanding--Office of Parliamentary Counsel, Australia.
• Plain English at Work: A guide to help organisations develop plain English documents--Department of Education, Science and Training, Australia.
• Plain Language Works Best--Los Angeles County, Quality and Productivity Commission
• Plain Language--Communications Nova Scotia, Canada.
• Clear Writing: What is it? How do you do it?--Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ontario, Canada.
• How to Write Clearly: Fight the Fog (PDF)--European Commission of the European Union.
• Government of Sweden | Plain-language Web sites in other countries (most not in English).

Other organizations (external links):

• Plain Language Association InterNational--a volunteer group of plain-language advocates and professionals in public, nonprofit and private organizations. PLAIN's Web site provides free articles, tutorials and Web links about writing, government programs, legal resources, literacy, and other related topics.
• Plain Language Commission--a private organization in the United Kingdom that offers free articles on writing, readability, jargon, standards of English, legal English and grammar.
• Clarity--an international association promoting plain legal language.
• Center for Plain Language--a U.S.-based nonprofit membership organization of people in government, academia and business who are dedicated to promoting and supporting the use of plain language in the public and private sectors.

Useful print references on plain language and clear, concise writing:

• The Complete Plain Words, 2003, Ernest Gowers, revised by Sidney Greenbaum and Janet Whitcut
• The Dictionary of Concise Writing: More Than 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases, Second Edition, 2006, Robert Hartwell Fiske
• Oxford Guide to Plain English, Second Edition, 2004, Martin Cutts, leader of the Plain Language Commission and co-founder of the Plain English Campaign-- Excerpts (external links).
• The Plain English Approach to Business Writing, 1997, Edward P. Bailey Jr.
• Plain English at Work: A Guide to Writing and Speaking, 1996, Edward P. Bailey Jr.--includes The Plain English Approach to Business Writing)
• Plain English Lexicon: A guide to whether your words will be understood (free PDF download), 2008, Martin Cutts, Plain Language Commission, United Kingdom
• Plain Style: Techniques for Simple, Concise, Emphatic Business Writing, 1993, Richard Lauchman--author of Plain Language: A Handbook for Writers in the U.S. Federal Government (listed above)
• Write Tight: How to Keep Your Prose Sharp, Focused and Concise, 2002, William Brohaugh

Also see Online and print resources, King County Editorial Style Manual.

Back to Top
Back to home page of King County plain-language writing guide
To King County Editorial Style Manual
To King County guide to concise writing