This document establishes governing principles and guidelines for plain science writing. It builds upon the foundation for plain language established in ISO 24495-1. It is organized according to the four principles presented in ISO 24495-1.

This document focuses on science writing: writing about scientific subjects that is intended for readers with varying education levels, backgrounds and interests. These readers can range from young students to decision-makers in industry and government.

This document does not explicitly address scientific writing. Such writing is found in scientific journal articles or academic documents, where experts write for others in their fields of specialization. However, it is possible that other experts do not work in precisely the same field as the author and prefer reading documents that follow plain language guidance. The principles found in this guidance and in ISO 24495-1 can help any author who seeks to create a plain language document.

This document applies to printed or digital information that is primarily in the form of text and images. This document applies to most written languages.