---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-heading-types.md
title: "Choose question, statement, or topic headings on purpose"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; original synthesis in our own words"
license_family: usgov
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive, Add useful headings, US government work, public domain; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "Editorial checklist only; not tested with readers. Sources fetched and evidence checked."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "write-edit"
tags: [plain-language, headings, structure, navigation]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "Add useful headings"
    publisher: GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/organize/add-useful-headings.md
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide"
    publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
    url: https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# Choose question, statement, or topic headings on purpose

**Answer:** Question headings work best when you know what your audience will ask; statement headings are the next best choice because they are still specific; topic headings are the most formal and often too vague to help.

## The three types

- Question: "Why do we use headings?" Most people come to government documents with questions, and the question-and-answer format helps them scan and find specific information.
- Statement: "Add useful headings."
- Topic: "General," "Application," and "Scope" are so vague they may confuse the user; "Application" might mean an application to your agency or what the document applies to.

## Writing them

- Develop the headings first, structured around your audience's concerns; this can reveal major groupings of information.
- Be concise and descriptive: headings should be shorter than the content that follows them, but favor clarity over brevity.

## Accuracy (CDC Clear Communication Index)

Headings must accurately reflect the information below them; otherwise they can distract or confuse the audience.

## See also

- [plain-language-headings-and-lists](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-headings-and-lists/)
- [plain-sentence-case-headlines](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-sentence-case-headlines/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: There are three types of headings.
  source: S1
  evidence: "There are three types of headings:"

- id: C2
  claim: Statement headings are the next best choice.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Statement headings are the next best choice because they are still very specific."

- id: C3
  claim: Vague topic headings may confuse the user.
  source: S1
  evidence: "so vague they may confuse the user"

- id: C4
  claim: Headings must reflect what follows.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Headings must accurately reflect the information that follows"

## Sources

- [S1] Add useful headings. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/organize/add-useful-headings.md . 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.

---

Agents: [/agents.md](/agents.md) | [/.well-known/agent-library.json](/.well-known/agent-library.json).