How to choose the best readability formula for your document
Today, there are over 200 readability formulas developed by various academics since the 1940s. Only a handful of these formulas are reliable in determining the reading level of a sample text. This article will help you decide which readability formula or formulas to use in your documents. Identify your industry, then select the appropriate readability formula.
EDUCATION
The main role of the education sector is to distill a good education for students at different grade levels. Written text in the form of textbooks, magazines, literature, etc., forms the backbone of a good educational system. Here are different readability formulas to use in your documents depending on the grade level:
1. Dale-Chall: The Dale-Chall readability formula is a general formula suitable for all kinds of texts.
2. Spache: Spache Readability Formula is ideal for texts for students up to 3rd grade.
3. Powers-Sumner-Kearl: The Powers-Sumner-Kearl readability test is ideal for text aimed at elementary-age children (ages 7-10).
4. SMOG: McLaughlin’s SMOG Readability Formula is suitable for texts intended for high school readers (fourth grade through college level).
5. Flesch Reading Ease: The Flesch Reading Ease readability formula is a general formula suitable for all types of texts.
6. Gunning Fog: The Gunning Fog Index readability formula is ideal for educational material geared toward businesses, such as business magazines and newspapers.
7. Fry Graph: The Fry Graph readability formula is a general formula suitable for all kinds of texts.
8. Coleman-Liau: The Coleman-Liau readability formula is ideal for texts aimed at readers from 4th grade to college level.
9. McAlpine EFLAW: The McAlpine EFLAW Readability Formula is ideal for determining the readability of English texts for ESL/EFL (English as a Second/Foreign Language) readers.
HEALTH CARE
The healthcare industry produces a large amount of relevant literature for patients, physicians, pharmacists, researchers, etc. Here are some tips for deciding which readability formula or formulas to use:
1. Dale-Chall: Useful for any type of text.
2. Flesch Readability: Useful for any type of text.
3. Fry Graph: Useful for any type of text.
4. Gunning Fog: Ideal for commercial publications and newspapers.
5. New fog count: useful for technical documents and manuals.
6. FORCAST: Ideal for technical manuals and forms.
7. Raygor Estimation Chart – Useful for any type of text, including literature and technical papers.
MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Military and government agencies have developed several important readability formulas to measure the readability of enlistment applications and technical manuals. Military and government agencies often use these readability formulas:
1. Automated Readability Index (ARI): Ideal for technical documents and manuals.
2. Flesch Readability: Useful for any type of text.
3. Flesch-Kincaid: Ideal for manuals, forms and other technical documents.
4. FORCAST: Most appropriate for multiple choice quizzes, applications, entry forms, etc.
5. Linsear Write: Ideal for technical manuals.
PUBLICATION
The publishing industry includes newspapers, magazines, books, journals, and online media. Publishers mainly use the following readability formulas to make their documents readable:
1. Dale-Chall: Useful for any type of text.
2. Flesch Readability: Useful for any type of text.
3. Fry Graph: Useful for any type of text.
4. Spache: Ideal for texts aimed at students up to 3rd grade.
5. Powers-Sumner-Kearl: ideal for text aimed at children of primary age (7 to 10 years).
6. SMOG: Appropriate for texts aimed at high school readers (from 4th grade to university level).
7. Gunning Fog – Ideal for trade publications and magazines.
8. Coleman-Liau: Ideal for texts aimed at 4th grade readers at the university level.
9. Raygor Estimation Chart – Useful for any type of text, including literature and technical papers.
10. Laesbarheds Index (LIX): Useful for documents of any Western European language.