Page:Federal Plain Language Guidelines.pdf/14

 {| class="wikitable" !Organized chronologically, and with general first
 * 725.205 Am I still eligible if I am convicted of a felony?
 * 725.205 Am I still eligible if I am convicted of a felony?

How to Apply for Benefits

725.301 How do I file a claim?

725.302 Can other people give evidence on my behalf?

725.303 Are there any time limits for filing my claim?

725.304 Can I modify or withdraw my claim?

How to Appeal Agency Decisions

725.401 Can I appeal a decision if I don’t agree with it?

725.402 How do I file an appeal?

725.403 How long do I have to file an appeal?

725.404 What types of evidence must I submit?

725.405 What happens if I won’t get a medical examination?
 * }

Limit levels to three or fewer

Crafting documents with four, five, or even more levels makes it difficult for your audience to keep track of where they are in the structure of your document. You should address this problem in your initial structuring of the document. Dividing your document into more pieces at the top levels should allow you to limit subdivisions below the major level to two. The Office of the Federal Register recommends that regulations contain no more than three levels, noting that more than three levels make regulations hard to read and use.

Address separate audiences separately

If you have more than one audience for your document, address each one separately. No one wants to have to wade through material meant for someone else. For more discussion of this issue, see the section Address separate audiences separately.

Sources Federal Plain Language Guidelines, March 2011, Rev. 1, May 2011
 * Kimble, Joseph, Lifting the Fog of Legalese, 2006, Carolina Academic Press, Durham, NC, p. 70 (C).
 * Murawski, Thomas A., Writing Readable Regulations, 1999, Carolina Academic Press Durham, NC, pp. 3-5.