Free tool
Plain language summary readability, graded for medical writing.
EU and UK rules require summaries the public can understand, but neither sets a reading grade or says how to check one. This checker grades every draft the same way, with medicine names and other words a summary can’t avoid set aside, and gives you a record for the review file. Your text never leaves your browser.
Before you check a summary
This example is made up. Zelvoratinib is not a real medicine.
Or drop a Word file here
Paste a summary, or try the example, to see its scores.
Before you check a summary
Paste a summary to see what to fix.
Paste a summary to see which of the things EU CTR Annex V asks for it covers.
Paste a summary to see the words set aside.
See every long sentence, hard word and plainer way to say it, and get the report by email for your review file. The email carries the scores only, never your text. Work email; no newsletter unless you ask.
The scores and what they mean, for your review file. The email carries the numbers only, never your text. Work email; no newsletter unless you ask.
Your text stays in this browser, and so does a file you open. Neither is sent to TrialAssure or saved.
How the scores work
- Grade level is the Flesch-Kincaid grade: 0.39 × words per sentence + 11.8 × syllables per word − 15.59. It estimates the US school grade a reader needs to follow the text. Plain language summaries usually aim for grade 6 to 8.
- Words and syllables are counted the way Microsoft Word’s readability statistics count them, so the grade with every word counted should be within a few tenths of Word’s; the headline grade is lower when words are set aside. Other online checkers count syllables their own way, so their grades can differ by a grade or more. As in Word, lines without a closing period, question mark or exclamation point (headings, list items) are not scored, and a semicolon ends a sentence for the grade.
- A word set aside still counts as a word, so every sentence keeps its length; it just counts as one syllable instead of its own. Leaving it out instead would shorten sentences and flatter the score.
- Numbers, promotional wording, passive verbs and abbreviations don’t change the grade: readability formulas can’t see them. They’re flagged because lay readers and reviewers do.
- Reading ease is Flesch’s 0–100 scale: higher is easier, and 60 to 70 reads as plain English. SMOG estimates the grade from words of three or more syllables and is most reliable over 30 sentences or more.
- A good score doesn’t make a summary plain on its own: it measures sentence and word length, not whether a reader understands the results. Read the summary aloud, keep numbers consistent, and test it with people like the ones who took part.
For guidance only. The scores and suggestions come from standard readability formulas and a general word list, not from a review of your summary, and they are not legal, regulatory or medical advice. A score does not show that a summary meets EU CTR Annex V, Good Lay Summary Practice or any other requirement, and every suggested wording needs checking for scientific accuracy before you use it. Responsibility for a summary stays with its authors and the trial sponsor. The checker is provided as is, without warranty of any kind. Microsoft and Word are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies; TrialAssure is not affiliated with Microsoft.
Before you check a summary
Is there a required reading grade for plain language summaries?
No. In the EU, the Clinical Trials Regulation requires a lay summary that a layperson can understand, and Good Lay Summary Practice aims at readers aged about 12, but neither sets a score or a way to check one. In the UK, since April 28, 2026, participants must be offered a summary of the results written for the public within 12 months of the trial ending (HRA guidance), and it sets no reading grade either. That is why every draft is worth checking the same way.
Is my summary sent to TrialAssure?
No. The checker runs entirely in your browser: nothing you paste is sent to us or stored. If you ask for the report by email, only the scores are sent.
What reading grade should a plain language summary aim for?
Good Lay Summary Practice asks for a summary that readers aged 12 and up can follow, which is about grade 6 to 7 on the US school scale the Flesch-Kincaid grade uses. Most teams aim for grade 6 to 8. GLSP treats readability formulas as a supplement, not a substitute for testing the summary with real readers.
Why does the checker set aside medicine names?
Readability formulas count syllables, so a name like pembrolizumab (five syllables) scores as hard as any jargon, though no summary can avoid it. The checker still counts each such word as a word, so every sentence keeps its length, but as one syllable instead of its own. It shows every word it set aside, and you can switch any of them back on.
Writing summaries for a whole portfolio?
Daiichi Sankyo and Cancer Research UK already run this workflow