Plain English helps your audience understand your message exactly as you meant it. This is helpful not only when communicating to people affected by cancer but also to members of the public or to other professionals who may not be specialists in your area.
Always consider who you are writing for and why. Sometimes we focus too much on what we want to talk about, when we should focus on what our audience wants to hear. Involving patient and public involvement (PPI) representatives in writing your public-facing content will help keep it focused on the audience.
When writing for a lay audience, assume they have very little or no prior knowledge of the topic area. You need to provide context, background information and explain any technical terms.
Complicated words can be off putting. Provide context and explain any technical terms. If there is a simpler word that conveys the same meaning, use that (e.g. “use” instead of “utilise” or “person” instead of “subject”).
It’s also important not to use acronyms. If it’s useful for the reader to learn the acronym, then make sure you explain it.
Try and stick to one idea per sentence and one theme per paragraph.
Aim for sentences to be 20 words or less but be sure to have some variety. A mix of long and short sentences will give your writing flow and make it much easier to read.
Also keep your paragraphs short, sticking to three sentences per paragraph if you can.
You can keep your writing shorter and clearer by cutting out repetition, long-winded expressions and meaningless words.
Use inclusive language that encourages people to get involved. Use personal pronouns (we, our, you, your) instead of words that distance the reader.
For example, 'Cancer Research UK would like people to have a say in...’ would change to ‘Have a say in…'.
Whenever you make a claim, it’s good practice to back this up with facts. This will help people affected by cancer and members of the public engaging with your work to trust you as a credible source of information.
Keep sentences active rather than passive. For instance, 'A report was published by the Government today' would change to 'The Government published a report today'.
Another example of using active language would be phrases like 'preventing cancer' (preventing = a verb) instead of 'cancer prevention' (prevention = noun).
A list of bullet points can help to give instructions or to spread out complex information.
You can also use images, diagrams, quotes and examples to bring concepts to life. Choose wisely, use sparingly and avoid mixing them. When using diagrams, make sure they are accessible and clear for your readers.
If you think the reader might be interested in more detail, consider adding links to further information to allow them to read more if they want.
We’ve put together advice, useful templates and case studies to help you when planning, delivering and evaluating your PPI activities.
Whether you’re just starting your application or already hold funding, we offer guidance and support throughout your research career.
We’ve created a toolkit with guidance, tips and templates to help you plan, deliver and evaluate your involvement activities.
