Accessible language
Use active sentences
- The data was collected in the course of 2024
- We collected the data in the course of 2024
Use everyday words
- We anticipate... participant retention...
- We take into account... participants remaining involved...
Avoid ‘ing’ words
- The study focuses on improving quality of life.
- The aim of the study is to improve quality of life.
Avoid clunky prose
- Many people find the website, with its clear texts, easy to read.
- Many people find the website easy to read because of its clear texts.
Avoid medical/scientific terms
- Antiretroviral therapy (ART), immune response, latent reservoirs
- HIV medication, how the immune system responds, places where the virus hides
Avoid unnecessary use of the term ‘patients’
- Patients with HIV
- People with HIV
Remove ‘can’, ‘could’, ‘should’ as much as possible
- The research results could be used...
- We use the research results to...