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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 uses a double-blind peer review process for research-related articles. The double-blind peer review conceals the identity of both authors and reviewers. The plain language world is relatively small, so knowing either the author’s or the reviewers’ names might intimidate authors or prevent peers from wanting to review. Double-blind reviewing eliminates those issues. 

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. Become a member to access the most recent journals.

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

  • The Clarity Journal 72 September 2014

    In this issue :

    1. How Do Our Readers Really Think, Understand, and Decide — Despite What They Know?,
    2. What’s in a name? The future for plain language in a converging communication profession,
    3. Plain Language for Accessibility, Democracy, and Citizenship,
    4. A Methodology for Clear Communication,
    5. Coaching legal experts in plain language for the web
    Download PDF

  • The Clarity Journal 71 June 2014

    In this issue :

    1. Judicial decisions: acts of communication,
    2. Judicial decisions a riposte and a retort,
    3. Plain English: Changing the Lawyer’s, Image and Goals,
    4. Bringing the audience to the fore, Radical approaches to preparing legislation
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  • The Clarity Journal 70 December 2013

    In this issue :

    1. Helping legal writers embrace their inner Salieri: Re-vision is just “seeing again”,
    2. Plain-language writing-training course: A challenge, an ambition, and a method in five steps,
    3. Strategies for clarity in legal writing,
    4. “Plain language”: Practical tips for how to make it not so plain,
    5. “Plain language”: Practical tips for how to make it not so plain,
    6. Visual clarity in contract drafting,
    7. Teaching non-native English speakers to draft contracts with clarity,
    8. Clearer words, clearer justice, and more.
    Download PDF

  • The Clarity Journal 69 January 2013

    In this issue :

    1. Trying to change the institutional culture:
      the European Commission’s clear writing campaign
    2. Start a plain language program at your organization
    3. USCIS plain language program
    4. Striving for clarity: the General Service Administration’s steps towards plain language
    5. The IRS and plain writing—challenges and accomplishments for a taxing situation
    6. Texas pattern jury charges—plain language revisions
    7. A study into best practice community legal information—a summary
    8. The challenges of plain language legal information in various media
    9. Empowering individuals to understand and engage
    10. You have the right to remain baffled: plain language and criminal justice
    11. Mobile technology and plain language—a match made in heaven
    12. Consumer testing and the development of TILA-RESPA integrated disclosures
    13. Plain language and statutory drafting: a Stark contrast
    14. Wrong—again—about plain language
    15. Draft of the Clarity Constitution
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  • The Clarity Journal 68 November 2012

    In this issue :

    1. Clarity 2012 opening address
    2. The story of “shall”: a parable of plain language
    3. Reflections of a plain-language legislative drafter
    4. Plain language in the financial world
    5. The IC clear project
    6. Plain language and the role of the visual
    7. Plain language laws in Australia
    8. Plain language laws in the Netherlands
    9. The US Plain Writing Act of 2010
    10. The rewriting of a statute—a case study
    11. The Swedish approach to clear legislation
    12. The risks and challenges of fostering plain language in Mexico
    13. Norway’s never ending story: improving the language in laws and regulations
    14. Simple is smart, smart is fast
    15. Plain language in the new Finnish model for effective legislative drafting
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  • The Clarity Journal 67 May 2012

    In this issue :

    1. Advocating plain language in the media
    2. Plain language: no budget—no problem!
    3. How do public authorities address the citizens? An attempt on a new understanding of textual categories
    4. A campaign for plain language in the municipality of Copenhagen—from textual effects to organisational context
    5. The Swedish Language Act—impact, experiences and challenges
    6. A plain perspective on legal translation
    7. The Korean initiative for easy-to-understand laws
    8. Language Consultancy Training in need of interaction between universities and practitioners
    Download PDF

  • The Clarity Journal 66 November 2011

    In this issue :

    1. The role of plain language in the writing training of law students
    2. Public power: putting the case for the lay reader
    3. Working with lawyers on your projects
    4. The design and implementation of a plain Spanish writing-skills programme for Argentina’s leading law firm
    5. Teaching judgment writing in Canada
    6. A most dangerous clause: Plain language prevents legal malpractice in software licensing
    7. Nova Scotia regulations drafting: a collaboration that works well
    8. Developing legal rights information: Collaborating with external legal advisors
    9. A ‘four minds’ approach to editing creates clarity
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  • The Clarity Journal 65 May 2011

    In this issue :

    1. Clarity 2010 opening welcome: closing farewell
    2. Transparency—an idea whose time has come
    3. Holding visual space for clarity and connection
    4. The European Commission’s clear writing campaign
    5. Japan’s project to simplify courtroom language
    6. Clarity: an empathic journey towards understanding
    7. World of Warcraft terms of service
    8. Gautrain—not plain!
    9. Gibson Sheat lawyers’ standard terms of engagement
    10. Test, redesign, and retest of Chase credit card agreement
    11. Communicating contracts: when text alone is not enough
    12. Prescriptive laws make bad election design
    13. SIMPLEGIS and clear legal language in Portugal
    14. Information about medicines: legal and visual arguments
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  • The Clarity Journal 64 November 2010

    In this issue :

    1. Defining plain language
    2. Setting plain language standards
    3. Training for plain language
    4. Grounding plain language in research
    5. Advocating plain language
    6. Certifying plain language
    7. Strengthening plain language institutions
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  • The Clarity Journal 63 May 2010

    In this issue :

    1. Writing Smaller
    2. Plain Language in Plain English, Chapter 8: Identify the purposes of the document
    3. Simplifying frequent overlooked customer touchpoints
    4. How to conduct readability research according to the standards of professional market and social research
    5. Five tips on writing to a judge
    6. The research basis of plain language techniques: Implications for establishing standards
    7. Two drafting examples from the proposed new Federal Rules of Evidence
    8. Multilayering in plain language texts
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