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Measuring the Readability of Business Writing: The Cloze Procedure Versus Readability Formulas

DePaul University

Kathleen C. Stevens

Northeastern Illinois University

William P. Stevens

DePaul University

Readability formulas determine the readability level of a passage by examining word difficulty and sentence length. Computer software packages are now available that use readability formulas to assign a readability score for the "average reader." However, readability formulas have severe methodological flaws and are not appropriate measures of the readability of materials written for adults.

In contrast, the cloze procedure as a method of determining the readability of adult material by testing the target audience itself. The cloze procedure is widely considered to be the accepted method of assessing the readability of college level material. The pro cedure may be particularly useful for business writers who have access to specific populations of readers on whom the procedure can be performed.

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