Readability: Tools for Journalists to Enhance Text Clarity

Cleverbot can mimic human conversation. Algorithms can create coherent sports match reports or stock exchange summaries. In early 2016, a computer even wrote a novel and nearly won a literary contest in Japan. Machines are stepping into fields once thought exclusive to humans.

Will they one day replace us in journalism? Let’s hope not. For now, humans have the advantage of imagination and abstract thought, something machines—hopefully—still lack. But they can help humans frame their thoughts in a clear and readable way, as machines can measure and apply readability principles to enhance text coherence and appeal.

In daily journalistic work, we often overlook these readability principles. Yet they are worth applying for several reasons. Content created according to readability rules:

• is easier for readers to digest,
• does not strain the eyes,
• is rated higher by Google’s algorithms and better positioned in search results.

Readability principles include typographic aspects, such as font choice and size, line and paragraph spacing, and color contrast. There are also more content-based principles, which we will focus on here.

Readability Principles

To make the text user-friendly and easy to understand, keep the following in mind:

• Use paragraphs and subheadings
  Unformatted text, or a "wall of text," strains the eyes and subconsciously deters readers. Split the content into paragraphs, ideally 4-5 lines each. Use clearly marked subheadings to separate thematic sections.
• Use bolding and lists
  Statistical data and enumerations are easier to absorb when presented in an organized format, so it’s useful to employ lists in these cases. Additionally, lists make the text more visually appealing. Bold important points to draw readers’ attention. This makes them easier to spot and remember.
• Avoid overly long sentences
  One readability rule suggests that sentences should not exceed 20 words. Longer sentences can make the text harder to understand, so it’s best to avoid them when possible.
• Avoid complex words and meanings
  Simply put, the simpler, the better. Of course, within reason, as not all topics can be presented in elementary language.

The last point may seem challenging. How do you gauge when a text is too complex or still accessible? This is where machines can help.

Tools Supporting Readability

Several helpful programs evaluate text complexity. They use algorithms that measure the FOG Index. It’s rated on a scale of 1 to 18+, representing the years of education needed to understand the text. For journalistic texts, a recommended score is around 10.

• 1-6 is understandable for primary school students,
• 7-9 is suitable for middle school students,
• 10-12 is understandable for high school students,
• 13-17 is suitable for college students,
• 18 and above is understandable for those with higher education.

Another readability measure is the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES). This index ranges from 100 to 0, with lower scores indicating greater complexity. Journalistic text should aim for around 70 points.

• 90-100 is suitable for primary school students,
• 70-90 is suitable for middle school students,
• 60-70 is suitable for high school students,
• 30-60 is suitable for college students,
• 0-30 is suitable for those with higher education.

Both the FOG Index and FRES were initially developed for English, but several tools adapted for Polish can be recommended.

Logios.pl

This app, created by the University of Wrocław’s Plain Polish Lab, uses the FOG-PL index, tailored to the specifics of Polish.

source: Logios.pl

Jasnopis.pl

A comprehensive, though still prototypical tool, developed by SWPS University experts. Jasnopis analyzes text complexity using both the FOG Index and a Polish-specific Pisarka index. It provides statistics and suggests improvements.

source: Jasnopis.pl

YoastSEO

A WordPress plugin that’s worth installing even if you don’t use CMS otherwise. Developed by Yoast BV, it checks readability according to various parameters and suggests adjustments. While not perfect, it also supports Polish.

source: WordPress/YoastSEO

For English texts, try other tools:

• Readability Test Tool (webpagefx.com)
• Hemingway Editor (hemingwayapp.com)
• Typely (editor.typely.com)
• Gunning Fox Index (gunning-fog-index.com)

These applications make it easier to create user-friendly, readable content. They also facilitate SEO, as Google’s algorithms favor readable content. Pages with such content, as long as they’re SEO-optimized, will rank higher in search results.

For more on web content creation, SEO, and content marketing, I cover these topics in my trainings. Join us for workshops. If you know other valuable readability tools, share them in the comments!