Plain English Summary

The plain English summary is read by a range of reviewers from many fields, not only clinicians and academics, but also those who may not have specialist knowledge of your field of research or be members of the public. The plain English summary, therefore, must give a clear, easy to read overview of the research.

It is not the same as the scientific abstract.

It is advisable to involve patients/carers/service users/practitioners and members of the public in developing a plain English summary.

The plain English summary should cover the whole of the project including:

• Aim(s) of the research – what you are aiming to find out
• Background to the research – why the research is important and the scale of the issue
• Design and methods used – how design methods were chosen and who are the participants
• Public involvement – how have the public been involved in the planning of the project and future involvement in the research
• Dissemination – who will communicate research findings and by what means

Simple guidelines for the writing of the plain English summary:

• The use of jargon, abbreviations and technical terms should be avoided (or if unavoidable they should be clearly explained)
• Avoid complicated English or uncommon words
• Keep sentences short
• Use project headings above to break up text to make the summary easier to read

The plain English summary is the first thing and sometimes the only section that the panel members will read of your application. It needs to be well written, easy to understand and capture attention. The following video talks through the most important aspects of the plain English summary.

How to Write a Lay Summary Duke, M (2012)

Plain English Campaign

Plain English Lexicon  Cutts, M (2011)

NIHR Plain English Summaries Guide