Content often has many audiences. For example, the national state of the environment report is used by researchers, academics, environmental managers, policy makers, teachers and students, and the general public. All of these have different interests and levels of understanding.

‘Layering’ can help to make sure complex material reaches all its intended audiences. Layering means presenting the information in several different ways in the same document – for example:

• overall summaries to present the overall messages of the report
• section summaries to highlight key messages for each topic
• detailed text that presents and discusses the report findings
• flowcharts and infographics to explain complex ideas in an accessible visual format
• downloadable fact sheets for particular audiences
• scientific graphs and tables to present specific data
• appendixes to provide lists and supporting materials.