A Plain-Language Editing Guide for AI-Assisted Writing

Plain language is not a way to make serious subjects simplistic. It is a way to make the meaning available to the people who need it. A reader should not have to decode a paragraph before they can decide whether it applies to them. This is especially important when an AI-assisted draft has produced formal transitions, repeated caveats, or abstract nouns that sound polished but conceal the action.

The goal is clarity with accuracy. Keep technical terms when they are the correct terms, but explain them when the audience may not know them. Keep a qualification when the evidence requires it, but place it where readers can see what it changes. Good editing removes friction, not responsibility.

Identify the reader's starting point

Before simplifying a sentence, decide what the reader already knows and what they need to do after reading. A specialist may need an exact definition; a new customer may need a brief explanation and a link to the next step. This choice determines what is essential. Without it, “simplification” can remove the information that makes a page safe or useful.

Write down unfamiliar terms, acronyms, and process names. For each one, ask whether the reader needs the term, a short definition, or an example. Define a necessary term at first use, then use it consistently. Switching between several labels for the same thing makes a page harder to scan.

Put the action and actor near the beginning

Sentences become difficult when the action is hidden inside a noun. “Completion of the review will be facilitated by the team” is harder to understand than “The team will complete the review.” The second version tells readers who will act and what will happen. This pattern is useful in instructions, updates, and policy explanations.

Look for long openings that delay the point: “In order to,” “It is important to note that,” and “With regard to” can often be cut. Start with the decision, result, or task. Then add the context the reader needs. Direct wording is not abrupt when it is paired with enough explanation.

Give each paragraph one job

A paragraph should help the reader answer one question: what changed, why it matters, how to do something, what the limit is, or where to get help. When a paragraph tries to perform several jobs, split it and add a descriptive heading if the section is long. A heading should make sense on its own in a skim; “Who can use this feature” is more useful than “Access details.”

Use lists when readers must compare parallel steps or items. Do not turn every sentence into a bullet just to make a page look scannable. A list works when the order, grouping, and completion criteria are clear. If the steps must happen in sequence, number them and test the instructions with someone who was not involved in writing them.

Prefer familiar words, then protect precision

Choose “use” over “utilize,” “help” over “facilitate,” and “before” over “prior to” when the meaning is the same. But do not replace a precise legal, technical, or product term with a vague everyday word. Explain it instead. For example, a page can name a required permission and immediately state what it lets the user do.

Watch for adjective stacks that create warmth without information: “a seamless, intuitive, powerful experience” does not tell the reader what happens. Replace the stack with a concrete description, a limitation, or a tested example. Specific language serves both accessibility and trust.

Use examples that do not invent authority

An example can make a concept easier to apply, but it must be clearly illustrative if it does not describe a real event. Do not create customer quotes, case-study results, or personal experiences to make a page feel human. Show the pattern instead: a vague instruction, a clearer rewrite, and an explanation of why the rewrite helps the reader act.

Keep the source of examples visible. If an example depends on a policy, release note, or data set, verify it with the same care as the main copy. Our fact-checking guide explains how to keep a claim close to dependable evidence.

Test the finished page in the way people read it

Read the text aloud, view it on a phone, and scan only the headings and links. These checks reveal overloaded sentences, vague calls to action, and sections that make sense only to the writer. A screen reader can also expose poor link text and awkward punctuation. Ask a colleague who represents the intended reader to explain the page back to you; their questions are valuable editing evidence.

If you use the writing editor to explore a clearer version, compare it with the source and accept only changes that preserve the intended meaning. Finish with our editorial checklist and the standards in responsible AI writing. Plain language is successful when readers can understand the page and make an informed choice.