Written Text Clarity construct approximation

Abstract

Producing information in clear language for citizens is part of the agenda of many Spanish
administrations in the 21st century. In fact, the Administration allocates a significant
volume of resources for this purpose. To carry out document clarification, public bodies
often use experts or researchers who, in many cases, form teams of interdisciplinary
specialists (linguists, lawyers, graphic designers, etc.). When a multidisciplinary team
clarifies an administrative text, we understand that it is based on an idea of clarity.
However, there is hardly any discussion of this because it is a problematic concept. In this
research we reflect on the concept of clarity. To this end, we carried out a systematic
mapping review of this term in works from different disciplines. The results of the review
highlight the complexity and elasticity of the term clarity, and encourage our proposal of
the written text clarity construct (CTE).