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From the National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of Health

Question: How can I locate materials on MedlinePlus that are easy to read and what is their reading level?

Answer:

MedlinePlus is a consumer health information Web site. Articles are written for the public, not for health professionals. But, not all materials on MedlinePlus are at the same reading level.

MedlinePlus does not decide the literacy level of materials. The people who write the materials are the ones who decide if they are easy to read. In general, easy to read materials are usually written at a 5th to 8th grade reading level. The interactive health tutorials on MedlinePlus are written at a 5th to 6th grade reading level. The summaries on our health topic pages aim for a 5th to 8th grade reading level.

To locate materials on MedlinePlus that are easy to read:

  • Visit our easy-to-read page to see all of the easy to read materials on MedlinePlus.

  • Easy to read documents can also be found on many of the health topic pages. You can identify them by looking for the Easy-to-Read graphic.

  • The interactive health tutorials are also easy to read and they include audio. Look for the Interactive Tutorial graphic on the health topic pages.

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