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The Clarity Journal

Our biannual journal, The Clarity Journal, is the leading source of plain language news and research from across the globe. The journal features the latest plain language research, practical advice, before-and-after examples, success stories, campaign strategies and much more.

The Clarity Journal is distributed free to members, keeping you up-to-date and informed of changes and trends in plain language and clear communication.

Contact our Editor-in-Chief at editor@clarity-international.org for advertising, article submissions and enquiries.

  • The Clarity Journal 86 December 2023

    In this issue:

    1. Plain-language rules, OK?
    2. Cutting through the clutter
    3. Understandable information for detainees
    4. Converting wills into plain language
    5. Some examples from the proposed new federal rules of bankruptcy procedure (Part 2)
    6. Demystifying data requests
    7. Before and after
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  • The Clarity Journal 85 November 2023

    In this issue:

    1. Techniques in simplification
    2. Construction contracts and 13 blank cheques (checks)
    3. Simplifying a judicial letter
    4. Some examples from the proposed new federal
      rules of bankruptcy procedure (Part 1)
    5. Explaining ballot questions in plain language
    6. Before and after
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  • The Clarity Journal 84 November 2022

    In this issue:

    1. ELIPS and what it can do for you
    2. Language is not neutral: Writing for healing, transformation, and liberation
    3. Writing reasons for decision like a human
    4. Rédiger les motifs d’une décision avec humanité
    5. A healthy language in a healthy country?
    6. Eit sunt språk i eit friskt land?
    7. Nurturing the dignity of vulnerable and marginalized people, one contract at a time
    8. Cultiver la dignité des populations vulnérables et marginalisées, un contrat à la fois
    9. Sarjakuvasopimukset: Ihmisarvoa vaalimassa
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  • The Clarity Journal 83 September 2022

    In this issue:

    1. The right to a voice
    2. Comic-style documents and information design
    3. Sarjakuva-asiakirjat ja informaatiomuotoilu
    4. Turning a document into a comic: 4 steps
    5. Making communication count: Communication only counts if it leads to good decisions and actions
    6. The language of the law in South Africa is a barrier to access to justice
    7. ELIPS and what it can do for you
    8. Producing timely and relevant information for young autistic adults
    9. Produire de l’information pertinente pour les jeunes adultes autistes

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  • The Clarity Journal 82 September 2020

    In this issue :

    1. Plain language: It’s about access to justice
    2. Writing revolution: We need you!
    3. Notes from the road: Plain language editing of a court form
    4. Access to justice through clarity of legal language
    5. Improving access to criminal justice by rewriting the Belgian letter of rights
    6. Access to justice and the right to understand in Spain: Plain language in the administrative justice of Andalusia
    7. Plain language principles
    8. Usability testing results for legal icons Northwest Justice Project – a case study (available to non-members)
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  • The Clarity Journal 81 September 2020

    In this issue :

    1. Access to justice requires plain language
    2. Do you understand your rights?
    3. Lawyers would like to write clearly, they just don’t have time
    4. Clarity in books on financial law: An author’s view
    5. Access to justice — “I did it my way”
    6. The value of plain language jury instructions in faciliating access to justice (accessible to non-members)
    7. Explaining rights to returning citizens
    8. Access starts with the precedent: Evaluating the language of leases
    9. Challenging resistance to plain language in the law
    10. Justice: Plain language in family law helps but it’s not enough (accessible to non-members)
    11. Legal self-reliance: Empowering consumers through plain language

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  • The Clarity Journal 80 June 2019

    In this issue :

    1. The contribution of design thinking to improve communications (accessible to non-members)
    2. Rights under British Columbia’s Mental Health Act: Co-designing mental health rights information with patients
    3. Does plain language only benefit the higher literate? Avoiding the Matthew-effect in plain language revisions (accessible to non-members)
    4. Accelerating the shift to plain language within financial institutions
    5. Legal drafting: Are there limits to what you can do with plain language?
    6. Plain language law reform: Strategies to minimize the negative effects of statutory interpretation
    7. Project Flavour: Plain language for the legal sector
    8. Plain Finnish in the European Union: Mission possible?

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  • The Clarity Journal 79 June 2018

    In this issue :

    1. An ISO Standard for Plain Language: the back story and the next steps,
    2. Plain Language Standards: A way forward,
    3. International standard for clarity — We bet this works for all languages,
    4. Standards that could be applied across languages,
    5. Thoughts about a plain language standard in a changing information world,
    6. Plain design standards?,
    7. Proposal of international plain language standards,
    8. A plain language standard for Afrikaans
    Download PDF

  • The Clarity Journal 78 March 2018

    In this issue :

    1. Sharing control of conflict: a proposal for transformation through plain language,
    2. 140 characters of pure business gold,
    3. Three steps towards creating a culture of writing excellence at your workplace,
    4. Snapshots from the conference,
    5. Access to written information: a social equity, social justice issue,
    6. Accessibility or bamboozlement? The case for clarity in modern legislation,
    7. Plain laws: what if there was a revolution and no one knew about it?,
    8. 32 Blog post about the conference: Ploughing legal snowdrifts to make snowballs roll
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  • The Clarity Journal 77 February 2018

    In this issue :

    1. Accessible justice—plain language points the way,
    2. 13 Plain language writ large: “Macrosimplifying” forcompany-wide clarity,
    3. You can’t manage what you don’t measure,
    4. 20 Snapshots from the conference,
    5. Consumers need plain language more than ever—but it’s time to rethink its role,
    6. Beyond all reasonable doubt: the brand advantages of plain English contracts,
    7. Blog post about the conference: 10 rules to writing clear legal language,
    8. Review of Legal Usage: A Modern Style Guide
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