Writing

Here you can find some writing advice.

Scroll down for advice more specific to leaflets, letters or promotional materials.

From us

Follow this link for our training powerpoint.

• Health literacy introduction and training: How to plan, write and review health information

Follow this link for our training checklist.

• Health Literacy checklist

The links below give useful advice on writing in a simple way.

Plain English

• How to write in plain English
• How to write medical information in plain English
• Plain English guidelines at a glance
• Using plain language in health information

Style guides

• NHS content style guide
• A-Z of NHS health writing
• Writing guidance from GOV.UK

Specific formatting

• Formatting and punctuation
• Numbers, measurements, dates and times
• Dosages
• Talking about benefits, risks and uncertainties

Tools to help you write

Hemingway app

Type or copy and paste your writing into this webpage. It will suggest how to make it clearer. For example, it will highlight sentences that are too long, written in the passive voice, or words people might find hard.

SHeLL Editor

Type or copy and paste your writing into this webpage. It will suggest how to make it clearer. For example, it will highlight sentences that are too long, written in the passive voice, or words people might find hard.

CDC Plain Language Theaurus for Health Communication

This PDF lists lots of words often used in healthcare. It suggests everyday words to use instead.

Everyday words spreadsheet

This spreadsheet includes a list of common medical terms, jargon, and other complex words and suggests everyday words to use instead.