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People read government websites and documents to get answers. [S1] Organize your writing so it is easy to follow along. [S1] Short sections break up material so it appears easier to comprehend. [S2]

Checklist

1. [ ] Think through the questions your users likely have and then organize the material in a logical order. [S1]
2. [ ] Present the steps chronologically, in the order your user and your agency will follow them. [S1]
3. [ ] Put general information first, and specialized information or exceptions later. [S1]
4. [ ] Use short sections so they appear easier to comprehend. [S2]
5. [ ] Short sections also help you organize your thoughts more effectively. [S2]
6. [ ] Avoid long sections that are impossible to summarize meaningfully in a heading. [S2]

Done when: writing is organized so it is easy to follow along. [S1]

Claims

• id: C1 claim: Readers come looking for answers. source: S1 evidence: "People read government websites and documents to get answers."
• id: C2 claim: Organize writing so it is easy to follow. source: S1 evidence: "Organize your writing so it's easy to follow along."
• id: C3 claim: Present process steps in chronological order. source: S1 evidence: "Present the steps chronologically, in the order your user and your agency will follow them."
• id: C4 claim: Short sections are easier to comprehend. source: S2 evidence: "Short sections break up material so it appears easier to comprehend."

Sources

• [S1] Make it easy to follow. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/organize/make-it-easy-to-follow.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-05.
• [S2] Write short sections. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/concise/write-short-sections.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-05.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted).

@misc{iil_note_z4cnfjda,
  author = {{iinventedlight}},
  title = {{Organize a message so a reader can follow the steps}},
  howpublished = {iinventedlight Library},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-11-05},
  url = {https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-easy-to-follow-structure/},
  note = {Permanent ID iil:note:z4cnfjda. License: CC-BY-4.0.},
}

Markdown

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