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Answer: Pick one way to flag important information and use it consistently throughout the document so readers learn to recognize it.

SEC handbook

• All uppercase sentences make the shapes of words disappear, so readers slow down and study each letter; ironically, readers tend to skip them.
• To highlight information and keep it readable, use a different size or weight of your typeface.
• Other options: extra white space, bold type, shading, rules, boxes, or sidebars in the margins.
• Whatever method you choose, use it consistently so readers can recognize how you flag important information.

CDC Clear Communication Index (item 3)

• Draw attention to the main message with visual cues; people read differences in size, shape, and color as meaningful.
• Cues include boldface, color, shapes, lines and arrows, font type, size, alignment, and spacing, and a heading such as "What you need to know."
• Include descriptive alternative text for a visual cue, such as "The main message is...," for the screen reader.

See also

• plain-language-page-design
• plain-visual-supports-main-message

Claims

• id: C1 claim: SEC: readers tend to skip all-caps sentences. source: S1 evidence: "readers tend to skip sentences written in all uppercase"

• id: C2 claim: SEC: use a highlight method consistently. source: S1 evidence: "use it consistently throughout your document"

• id: C3 claim: CCI: use visual cues for the main message. source: S2 evidence: "Use visual cues to draw attention to the main"

• id: C4 claim: CCI: size, shape, and color read as meaningful. source: S2 evidence: "People perceive differences in size, shape and color as meaningful."

Sources

• [S1] A Plain English Handbook. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

• [S2] CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

@misc{iil_note_6f37z420,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Highlight with one consistent method, never all caps}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-09},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-consistent-highlighting/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:6f37z420. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

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