Make your writing clear and concise

Clear and concise writing ensures that materials are easily understood. There are a number of pointers and techniques that we can use to help us communicate effectively. These include using plain English, keeping sentences and paragraphs short, using neutral, objective language and emphasising action.

Plain English

All web sites produced by LTS should be written in plain English.

Plain English uses language that is clear, easy to understand and free of unnecessary jargon. This makes content easier to read and understand. It can also help you express what you need to say concisely.

Choose words that your audience will understand. Where appropriate choose the simplest version of words. The following examples compare different approaches to the use of language:

1. High-quality learning environments are a necessary precondition for facilitation and enhancement of the ongoing learning process.
2. Children need good schools if they are to learn properly.

1. If there are any points on which you require explanation or further particulars we shall be glad to furnish such additional details as may be required by telephone.
2. If you have any questions, please ring.

The second sentence of each pair is much more appropriate when writing for the web. For more examples visit the Plain English Campaign.

Choose single words rather than phrases

Use short sentences

Long sentences which contain many ideas can be difficult to read. Studies have shown that this is particularly true when people are reading words on a screen. You should aim for an average of around 15–20 words per sentence, though a mix of shorter and longer sentences can add interest.

Avoid using more than three clauses per sentence and consider splitting long sentences into several shorter sentences. Bullet points can be a useful way of splitting up very long sentences.

Make sure every sentence adds something to what you are writing. Try to write as little as possible, but don’t sacrifice clarity for conciseness.

Break down your text into bite-sized chunks

Like long sentences, long paragraphs can be difficult to read, especially on screen. Limit each paragraph to one main idea and a maximum of three or four sentences.

Use bullet points to highlight key points or indicate numbered steps.

Use headings and subheadings to define the structure of your content. Headings should be concise (eight to ten words maximum) and should accurately describe the content they introduce. All headings and subheadings should be written in sentence case.

However, be careful not to overuse headings. Headings should help break down the text into more manageable chunks, but overuse of headings can clutter the page and have the opposite effect.

The inverted pyramid

The inverted pyramid style of writing places the most substantial, interesting, and important information in the opening paragraph.

This paragraph should address the 'who,' 'when', 'where', 'what' and 'how' of the article. It provides users with a snapshot of the information on a particular page.

If a user only reads the first paragraph they will still have an idea of the information available on the page.

The rest of the page should be used to fill in the details of the article.

Go to Jakob Nielsen's page on inverted pyramids for further information.

Tone and language

The tone of your writing and the language you use will affect the reader's ability to understand what you are saying. The tone and language you use should not confuse or patronise the reader.

Use neutral rather than subjective, boastful, or exaggerated language.

Be consistent in the language you use. For example, if a document is called 'Online Publishing Standards' use this term to refer to the document throughout your content rather than using a similar term such as 'Standards for Web Publishing'. These two terms may mean the same thing but it could confuse the reader if you don't use terminology consistently.

Concise, scannable, objective

Jakob Nielsen, regarded as an authority on web usability, suggests that good writing for the web should be concise, scannable and objective.

• Concise - use as few words as possible.
• Scannable - use headings, links, highlighted words and bullet points.
• Objective - use neutral language.

Go to Nielsen's site for an example of applying these principles to some promotional writing.