Does the material use advance organizers or headers related to the
text?
Headlines (often called "headers") should be simple and close
to the text. They serve as advance organizers so that the reader knows what's
coming. Often recommendations can be divided by headers into categories to
introduce and organize the advice. The white space is balanced with words and
illustrations. Try to have tables, charts, or illustrations on the same pages as their
textual references. (For more details on layout organizations and examples
see "Layout" in Clear and Simple, p. 30.)
Poorly designed layouts often have no headers or advance organizers. The
white space is crowded by the text or illustrations. Tables or charts are
not carefully placed within sight of their textual references.
Are underlining, bulleting and bolding used for emphasis and
organization?
Typographic cueing, such as underlining, bulleting, and bolding gives
emphasis to new terminology, questions, or important information. Cues such as
circles and arrows visually point out key information. Both UPPER and lower case
letters are used (avoid using only capital letters).
Avoid materials where there is little or no attempt to emphasize important
points with underlining, bolding or bulleting. Also beware of
material that overuses ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
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