Guidelines for Plain Language Summaries

Description 

A text-only plain language summary (PLS) is a brief summary written in clear, jargon-free language for an audience of nonexperts, including patients, news outlets, clinicians, and researchers. A PLS conveys the important points of the scientific research in a way that engages more readers and reaches a broader audience. The text PLS will be published as online-only Supplementary Material for a flat fee of $75.00.

Author guidelines 

Keep it short: 
 
  • The PLS should have a maximum of 250 words.
  • Each sentence should contain no more than 25 words.
  • Each word should have no more than 2 syllables.
  • Break up sentences with a period. Avoid the use of semicolons, parentheses, and too many commas.

Have your audience in mind when drafting your PLS. The recommended reading level is Grade 8 (use tools in Microsoft Word and online to assess the reading level of your PLS).

Avoid jargon, technical terms, abbreviations, and difficult words.

Use the active voice (“We did” vs “done by us”).

Answer the most important questions about your research:
 
  • Why did you conduct the study and why is it important?
  • What is the purpose of the study?
  • What methods did you use?
  • What did you discover?
  • How will patients, researchers, or clinicians benefit from your findings?
  • Why was the study done? What did the researchers do and find? What do the results mean? What is the objective influence on the wider field?
Ensure that the PLS states the facts in a way that cannot be misinterpreted.
 
Once you have finished writing your summary, ask a nonspecialist colleague, friend, patient, or caregiver in your field to read it to check for clarity and understanding. They should be able to grasp the findings and importance of your study.
 
For more detailed guidelines and further resources on how to write a strong PLS, please read the recommendations from the National Institute for Health Research.
 
Visual Plain Language Summaries 

Aside from a text PLS, you may also submit a visual abstract (similar to an infographic). The visual abstract must be one page only. These will be published online-only—separately from the text PLS—as Supplementary Material (for a flat fee of $150). It may also be posted on our social media platforms to reach a wider audience. 
 
You may also post it on Figshare with the following guidelines:
 
  • Link to the article on the The Journal’s website and/or the article DOI.
  • Include The Journal logo on the top right of the graphic (or the first page if it has multiple pages)
  • Include the article information (ie, Author names. Article Title. Journal name. Year; Volume:Page Numbers).
  • Alternatively, use the Supplementary Material PDF from the article on our website (located in the Supplement tab).

Copyright 

The PLS has the same copyright agreement as the article. See our Guide for Authors for more information about copyright and Open Access publication. For more information about submitting a PLS, please contact manuscripts@jrheum.com.