What is readability?
Hemingway and Readability
Have you navigated through a website for more information on a topic? Have you then found some relevant content but not understood it well? Is that text written in a language that you know, but in a manner that is not straightforward?
Have you flipped through the pages of an important legal document, wondering what each clause means? Have you come across words and expressions that sound important but are unfamiliar?
Have you bought a new medical device and read the accompanying manual? Have you read all the pages and then wondered how to use the device?
Some prose is easily understood by one audience. But the same prose is complex for another audience.
Some documents convey a sense of urgency and importance. But they lack clarity.
Some texts are easy to read. Others are not.
As a writer, how would you choose words and expressions for a general audience? How would you write for a group of experts in a domain?
Readability is an important consideration for the writer. It determines whether the target audience will
- understand the content
- read the entire content
- look forward to more content from the same writer
Image by Roland Steinmann from Pixabay
What is readability? Can it be measured?
What makes a document more readable or less readable? In addition to the text itself, what other parameters influence readability?
At a recent meeting of the Pune editors’ community, I presented a short session on readability and the Hemingway App. I also introduced related topics such as the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease.
The slides are available for reference.
Anita Nagarajan
Communications and Editing Consultant, Writer, Educator
Ms. Anita Nagarajan is an independent communications and editing consultant, writer and educator, specializing in technical, scientific, and educational content. She edits research papers for researchers and scientists from academic institutions and research organizations across the world. Through her editing and recommendations, she has helped authors in STEM and Management successfully publish their papers in journals and publications of leading and renowned academic publishers such as Nature, Elsevier, IEEE, Springer, and Wiley. As an educator and trainer, she facilitates training sessions and workshops in pedagogy and effective communication for students, teachers, researchers, and other professionals in Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. She works with academia, corporates, publishers, researchers, and non-profits to publish high-quality communication material and content for different stakeholders in STEM, Business and Management, and Education for the target audience. She has an MS degree from North Carolina State University, USA, and a BE degree from Government College of Engineering, Pune, India. She has obtained several certifications and completed coursework in languages, editing, writing, and communication. She is Chair of EASE India, regional chapter of the European Association of Science Editors (EASE).