Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Toolkit

This guide provides key considerations and resources to use inclusive language in the work place.

Plain language makes government communications easy to read and understand. California law (Government Code 6219) requires state agencies to use clear, simple language. This includes all communications from state agencies.

The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) created California’s statewide plain language equity standard. The standard:          

• Helps state workers understand what “plain language” means    
• Defines what is expected of state agencies    

You can find plain language training, tips, and tools at ODI’s Inno​vation Hub.

The California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) created this list of plain language best practices. Before applying these practices, consult with your department.​

• Get informed. Take Introduction to Plain Language for the public sector on CalLearns. Review the resources on ODI’s Innovation Hub.
• Choose words that are common and easy to understand. Avoid jargon, technical terms, and complex words.
• Keep sentences as short as you can. Aim for no more than 20 words long. Short sentences are easier to read. They are also easier to understand.
• Organize the content well. Present information in a logical order. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points. They break up the text and guide the reader.
• Be concise. Remove unnecessary words. Get straight to the point to make your message clear and concise.
• Define abbreviations and acronyms. The first time you use one, spell it out and give the abbreviation in parentheses. For example: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).    
• Test your text’s readability. Use tools to check the text meets the standard of grade 8 reading level or below.
• Program-specific terms or proper nouns (like California Citizens Compensation Commission) may give your text a higher reading level. Test your text both with and without these terms and nouns. If they’re needed and why your text is above grade 8, that’s OK.

• ODI – Introduction to California’s plain langua​ge for the public sector (CalLearns registration required)
• ODI – Plain language equi​ty toolkit
• California Government Code – Governmental linguistics [6219-6219]
• Federal government – Plain language web​sit​e
• Hemingway Editor (without artificial intelligence) – Heming​way