Define jargon or spell out acronyms the first time they appear on any page. You cannot assume prior knowledge, memory, or even the context by which a user arrives on the page.
American Medical Association (AMA)
Idioms and cutesy or abstract turns of phrase can be difficult for English as a second language (ESL) and low literacy readers. They can be difficult or distracting to readers with cognitive impairments. And they can be inappropriate or hurtful to a user in emotional distress or crisis.
Clichés and colloquialisms are culturally oriented and often lack meaning to people outside the intended culture. They also lack the professional tone the University Libraries strive for. Particular phrases must be avoided because of underlying oppressions.
Consider reserving cute for noncritical social media content or non task-based contexts like print materials or newsletters.
“A good rule of thumb is...” (no.)
vs.
“A good rule is..” (yes.)
The phrase “rule of thumb” is associated with domestic violence, and adds needless complexity.
“That one is looking long in the tooth.” (no.)
vs.
“That one is looking older.” (yes.)
The phrase “long in the tooth” means different things in different languages, and absolutely nothing in others, in addition to adding needless complexity.
Clean up messages and content by striking out unnecessary adjectives and replacing the following words below.
| Avoid | Example | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| A bit | The books are a bit difficult to read | The books are [difficult/somewhat difficult] to read |
| A lot of; a couple of | A lot of studies | [Many/several/a great number of/eight] studies |
| America | A researcher in America | A research in [the United States/the U.S.] |
| Isn’t, can’t, doesn’t, would’ve (any contraction) | The library isn’t | The library is not |
| Kind of; sort of | The results were kind of significant | The results were [somewhat significant/significant to some degree] |
| Til, till | From 2008 till 2012 | From 2008 [until/to] 2012 |
| You; your | You can clearly see the results | The results clearly |
| Bad | A bad result | A [poor/negative] result |
| Big/humongous | A big sample | A [large/sizable] result |
| Get | This database gets attention | This database receives attention |
| Give | This chapter gives an overview | This chapter [provides/offers/presents] an overview |
| Good | A good example | A [useful/prime] example |
| Show | The figure below shows | The figure below [illustrates/demonstrates/reveals] |
| Always; never | Researchers always use | Researchers use; Researchers [frequently/commonly/typically] use |
| Perfect, best, worst, most, always, never (any superlative) | The perfect solution to the | [An ideal solution/a preferred solution] to the problem |
| Very, extremely, really, too, so (any intensifier) | The database is extremely important | The database is [important/critical/crucial] |
| Beautiful, ugly, wonderful, horrible, good, bad | The literature review included many good articles | The literature review included many articles |
| Naturally | The participants naturally wanted to | The participants wanted to |
| Obviously; of course | The results obviously indicate | The results indicate |
| Has got; have got | The dissertation has got four chapters | The dissertation has four chapters |
| Serves to; helps to | This chapter serves to explain | This chapter explains |
| Literally | The students were literally dying to | The students were eager to |
| Would of; had of | The study would of considered | The student would have considered |