Writing in Plain Language: A Quick Guide from Start to Finish (Practical Matters‪)‬

Medical writers often get requests to "translate" complex health information into patient-friendly documents. This translation is sometimes referred to as converting to plain language--using words, terms, and concepts that most readers in the intended audience can relate to, understand, and use (see box on next page). The purpose of this article is to answer the most common questions about writing in plain language: how to start the project, how to write in plain language, and how to know when you've written well. How do I start a plain language project?