Basics of Writing, Readability, and Its Indices

1. Basics of Writing in Agricultural Journalism; Effective writing in agricultural journalism aims to inform, educate, and motivate rural people, particularly farmers. The writing must be clear, concise, and easily understood.

Key Principles:

• Know your audience: Farmers, extension workers, youth, etc.
• Use simple and familiar language
• Be specific and focused on one topic
• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Use active voice
• Avoid jargon and technical terms (or explain them if needed)
• Include illustrations or examples
• Give practical and actionable information

2. What is Readability?

Readability refers to how easy or difficult a piece of writing is to read and understand.

📌 Importance of Readability in Extension:

• Helps convey technical information in simple terms.
• Increases message effectiveness.
• Encourages adoption of new technologies.

3. Readability Indices (Formulas to Measure Readability); Readability indices are scientific tools used to assess how difficult or easy a text is to read. They are useful to quantify the reading level required.

Gunning Fog Index

• Developed by Robert Gunning (1952)
• Estimates the years of formal education needed to understand the text.
• Complex words = words with 3 or more syllables
• Ideal score = 6–10 for general public

Flesch Reading Ease Score

• One of the most widely used formulas
• Higher score = easier to read

🔹 Interpretation:

1. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level; Gives the grade level of education required to understand the text.

🔹 Formula: Example: A score of 6.0 means a 6th-grade student can understand the content.

SMOG Index (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook)

• Developed by G. Harry McLaughlin
• Measures reading grade level

Use: Accurate for short texts (like leaflets or folders)

Dale–Chall Readability Formula

• Uses a list of 3,000 familiar words
• If a word is not on the list, it’s considered “difficult”

Best Practices to Improve Readability:

• Use short sentences (15–20 words max)
• Prefer common, everyday words
• Use bullet points, headings, and subheadings
• Avoid passive voice
• Add visuals like diagrams or pictures
• Test your material with a readability formula before finalizing