Rewriting important case study reports in plain English for a wide audience
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse committed itself to publishing an extensive series of reports on its hearings so that these stories could be heard and members of the public could understand the devastating impact that sexual abuse has had on victims’ lives.
In 2013 the Royal Commission appointed Apricot Zebra as external consultant to advise on plain English and structural issues in its case study reports and interim and final reports. Royal Commission lawyers wrote more than 40 reports on hearings that were held across the country. Apricot Zebra’s role was to adapt the language for a general audience, including the abuse victims themselves – who may have left school because of emotional issues resulting from their abuse – and people with limited language skills. We also edited the reports to the high professional standard required by the Royal Commission.
Our Services
What we provided
Apricot Zebra also edited the interim and final redress and civil litigation reports, the interim criminal justice report and three volumes of the final report.
Applied plain English principles
Redrafted material to improve readability
Suggested changes to structure and content to improve clarity and logic
Took a high level of care to preserve legal integrity
Ensured that reports were grammatically correct, free of typographical errors and consistent with the Royal Commission’s style guide and other guidance
Ensured that reports took a similar approach to the presentation of information in the reports so that the report series had a consistent feel.