---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-summary-orients-not-copies.md
title: "Summarize only what matters most, and link to the rest"
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: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CDC Clear Communication Index: User Guide, US government work, public domain; U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, A Plain English Handbook, 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: "summarize"
tags: [plain-language, summarize, summaries, scope]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    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"
  - id: S2
    title: "A Plain English Handbook"
    publisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
    url: https://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# Summarize only what matters most, and link to the rest

**Answer:** A summary should orient the reader by highlighting the most important points, not repeat the document. You don't need to provide all the information you have in one material.

## CDC Clear Communication Index

- Put a summary of the most important information the primary audience needs in the first paragraph or section.
- Don't let the amount of information overwhelm the audience.
- Include only the most important information for the main message you've selected; give the audience ways to get additional or related information if they want it.

## SEC handbook

- A summary should orient the reader by highlighting the most important points, which the body presents in greater detail.
- Many summaries are as long as the document and consist of paragraphs copied straight from the body; avoid both.
- A cover page should give some key facts, but not tell everything all at once.

## See also

- [plain-one-main-message](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-one-main-message/)
- [plain-language-short-paragraphs](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-short-paragraphs/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: CDC: you need not include everything you have.
  source: S1
  evidence: "You don’t need to provide all the information you have in one material."

- id: C2
  claim: CDC: offer ways to get more information.
  source: S1
  evidence: "You can provide the audience ways to get additional or related information"

- id: C3
  claim: SEC: a summary should orient the reader.
  source: S2
  evidence: "A summary should orient the reader,"

- id: C4
  claim: SEC: many summaries copy body paragraphs.
  source: S2
  evidence: "consist merely of paragraphs copied straight from the body of the document"

## Sources

- [S1] 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.

- [S2] 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.


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).