Style guides

Style guides are not a plain language issue, except that your style guide should include directions to write in plain language. Plain language works with whatever style you follow.

Here are some style guides. If you have an update, please let us know at info@plainlanguage.gov.

Federal government

• Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Defense
• Department of Veterans Affairs (and related Design System)
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Federal Aviation Administration
  • Federal Aviation Administration Writing Standards
• Government Publishing Office
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• National Institutes of Health
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Office of the Federal Register
• Securities and Exchange Commission
  • A Plain English Handbook
• USAGov Bilingual Style Guide
• 18F Content Guide

State government

• Plain Language: It’s the Law, and a Good Idea, Oregon
• Plain Talk, Washington

International community

• Putting Plain Language Into Practice, Aggie Brockman for Canada’s Literacy Council