Fact Sheets are a powerfulway for USGS scientists to

rapidly communicate the resultsof their work directly to the pub-lic. These concise official publi-cations can be particularly use-ful in helping readers under-stand and live with natural haz-ards. Fact Sheets also increasepublic awareness of the USGS'role. Careful review and edit areespecially important with FactSheets because they often touchon sensitive issues and mustpresent a clear, unambiguousmessage to the general public.

The mission of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey (USGS) is to provide the Nationunbiased scientific information about ourrestless and environmentally fragileplanet. The results of USGS work areused by policymakers, private industry,and the general public. Because of theirtechnical nature, however, many USGSpublications do not convey a clear mes-sage to the non-scientist.

Fact Sheets, an official publication se-ries of the USGS since 1994, are provingeffective in fulfilling this important partof our mission. For example, these con-cise publications can be powerful toolsfor directly alerting the public to naturalhazards—enabling readers to better pre-pare themselves and also allaying un-warranted fears.

As with other USGS publication series,Fact Sheets must go through the officialapproval process, including review, edit-ing, and Director’s approval. Because theyoften touch on sensitive issues and mustpresent a clear, unambiguous message tothe public, a thorough process of reviewand editing is especially important forFact Sheets.

What Authors Need To Provide• DRAFT TEXT (No more than 1,500 words

for a 2-page Fact Sheet; 2,500 words for a4-page Fact Sheet)—Initially, authorsshould not worry too much about lengthor the use of technical terms; culling amore detailed text and rewording it forthe general public is easier than fillinggaps in an incomplete text. Editors cangreatly assist authors by doing substan-tial rewriting and can help craft an atten-tion-grabbing introduction.

• GRAPHIC MATERIAL—Illustrations mayinclude photographs (those showingpeople actively working are particularlygood), small maps, technical diagrams,

and sketches. Editors and graphic artistscan help produce easily understoodgraphics from technical illustrations oreven from rough ideas or sketches.

• CONSULTATION—Frequent consulta-tion is required between authors, editors,and graphic artists. An effective FactSheet is usually the product of extensiveinteraction and feedback.

About the Process• REVISE! REVISE! REVISE!—Expect the

text, captions, and illustrations to gothrough many successive versions,bouncing back and forth among editors,authors, graphic artists, and reviewers.Much of the writing, editing, reviewing,and “polishing” occurs concurrently.Captions often reach final form last,after the graphics are completed.

• TEAMWORK—Every phrase in a FactSheet must be carefully considered toensure that it can be clearly understood,cannot be misread, and conveys no unin-tended meanings to the non-technicalreader. Experience has shown that thesynergy of people working together not

Essential Elements of a Good Fact Sheet• Good science• Short, active, and non-technical title• Brief abstract• Attention-grabbing introduction (usually a story)• Clear, concise message that readers can relate to• Well-explained benefit to society• Point of contact for more information• Eye-catching, effective graphics• Format that identifies it as a USGS product

No matter how well written, a Fact Sheet will not convey its message unless it is picked up and read. In publica-tions intended for a general audience, the importance of color and format cannot be overstated. An attractivelyformatted, color Fact Sheet with a striking illustration on the first page is far more likely to be picked up and readby a member of the public than is a plainer looking black-and-white product. Colorful illustrations, an interestingformat, and a bold, active title help capture the viewer’s attention at a quick glance.

Creating an Effective Fact Sheet

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

USGS Fact Sheet-008-97, version1.1Revised March 2000

COMMUNICATING U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SCIENCE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC

For more information contact:Western Publications Group (650) 329-5038

U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 951345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025

http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov

only results in higher quality but also savestime. For example, a team of two editorsrewriting and “polishing” the text of a FactSheet at the same computer monitor hasproved more time-effective than a singleeditor working alone. Roundtable discus-sions between the authors, editors, andgraphic artists are also very productive.

• REVIEW & TEST MARKETING—Differ-ent eyes see different things, so you almostcannot have too many people read andreview a Fact Sheet. For example, each ofthe 13 Fact Sheets in the series ReducingEarthquake Losses Throughout the UnitedStates (produced in 1995 and 1996) wasroutinely reviewed several times by 7 to 11people, including editors, graphic artists,authors, series coordinators, and the Publi-cations Group Chief. All of them foundsome way to improve each Fact Sheet. Inaddition, many of the Fact Sheets werereviewed by non-scientists outside theUSGS (often family members); the com-ments of these “test readers” from thegeneral public often also resulted in sig-nificant improvements.

General Tips• COLOR! COLOR! COLOR!—Tasteful

and effective use of color makes it morelikely that the general public will pick up apublication and read it. Some black-and-white images can be successfully incorpo-rated, but usually color is the attractant.

• BANNER HEAD—A series banner headabove the Fact Sheet’s title is a good wayto tell the reader the general subject areabeing discussed. Future related Fact Sheetscan then be placed in the same series.

• "SPEAK PLAINLY"—Because FactSheets intended for the public must beeasily understood by a broad audience,text should be written for a high-school(“National Geographic”) reading level.

Peter H. Stauffer and James W. Hendley II

Graphic design bySusan Mayfield and Sara Boore

Technical terms should be used only ifabsolutely essential to convey the mean-ing, and any technical term used must beexplained clearly.

• CONCISENESS—The final abstract of aFact Sheet should be about 70 words long.The final text (excluding captions) for a 2-page Fact Sheet should be about 1,000words (2,000 words for a 4-page FactSheet). To achieve the required concise-ness, eliminate anything that is not neces-sary. As you read the information con-tained in the text, ask yourself, “Will thepublic really care about this?” If the an-swer is “No,” either delete the particularitem or, if it is essential to the story, makeit relevant. Subheadings and bullet itemsare not generally used (because they re-quire extra space) but may be appropriatefor some topics, as with this Fact Sheet.

• ABSTRACT & CAPTIONS—Becausesome people will only read the abstractand captions and look at the illustrations,these elements should carry the essentialsof the message contained in the Fact Sheet.Captions may therefore purposely repeatportions of the text, sometimes verbatim.

• COOPERATORS—When appropriate,non-USGS organizations and groups in-

volved in the work discussed in the FactSheet can be listed under “CooperatingOrganizations,” usually following thenames of authors and graphic designers.

• POINT OF CONTACT—So that the inter-ested reader can get more information onthe topic presented, a point of contactshould be given at the end of each FactSheet. Include a telephone number, mail-ing address, and e-mail and (or) websiteaddress. Because people’s assignmentschange, it is best not to give a person’sname as the point of contact. An 800 tele-phone number is best, and the callershould be able to talk to someone immedi-ately or leave a message that will receive aprompt response. If appropriate, referencecan be made to related Fact Sheets.

Fact Sheets created through the intensivereview and editing process outlined here arealready reaching a broad audience. Publicdemand has been so high for these productsthat many have been reprinted within monthsof publication, even with initial printings of10,000 copies each. By using effective prod-ucts such as these Fact Sheets, USGS scien-tists can bring the benefits of their workmore directly to the citizens of our Nation.

Creating an effective Fact Sheet for the generalpublic involves many revisions and much teamwork.Every aspect of a Fact Sheet must be carefullyconsidered to ensure that it will be clearly under-stood by the non-scientist reader. Roundtablediscussions and bouncing successive revisionsamong team members produces a synergy that notonly results in higher quality but also saves time.

As shown by these dia-grams and the final FactSheet illustration derivedfrom them, editors andgraphic artists can produce

Printed on recycled paper

Seismic records (upper right) obtained duringthe 1984 Morgan Hill, California, earthquakeled to an improvement in the Uniform BuildingCode (a set of standards used in many states).The center of the gym roof shook sidewaysthree to four times as much as the edges. TheCode has since been revised to reduce theflexibility of such large-span roof systems andthereby improve their seismic resistance.

AUTHORS

EDITORSGRAPHICARTISTS

PROGRAMMANAGERS

REVIEWERS

REVIEWERS INCLUDE

• Technical reviewers

• Test readers

• Publications Group Chief

(final review and

Director's approval)

SYNERGY FUELS THE CREATION OF EFFECTIVE FACT SHEETS

attractive, easilyunderstood imagesfrom highly techni-cal material or evenfrom rough ideas orsketches.