Context of the study
This folder contains data on text simplification collected from an experimental study with second-language university students. We adopted a pre-test and post-test design, and randomly divided participants into experimental and control group. In the pre-test, participants were given an extract of a corporate report dealing with sustainability and were asked to revise it to make it easier to read for a lay customer. Subsequently, they took part in training. The experimental group received training on both plain language and sustainability, while the control group received training exclusively on the topic of sustainability. In the post-test session (2-3 days after the pre-test), all participants were assigned a second extract of a corporate report dealing with sustainability, and were asked again to make it easier to read for a lay customer by applying what they had learned from their respective training. This design allowed us to examine the impact of plain language training on text simplification (revision) tasks. The texts were in English while the participants were native speakers of other languages (mainly Dutch), so the text simplification took place in their second language.

Type of training
The training that we have assigned to the experimental group (i.e. the intervention of this study) is available at this link: https://hosting.uantwerpen.be/calliope/plantra/
The training that we have assigned to the control group is available at this link: https://hosting.uantwerpen.be/calliope/plantra-control-training/

Methods and data
We collected two main types of data:
1. keystroke logging data via Inputlog, available as IDFX files (process data). We analysed the keystroke logging data using InputLog: https://www.inputlog.net/
2. the texts simplified by the students, available as Microsoft Word documents (product data). We analysed these texts in terms of readability using Coh-Metrix: http://cohmetrix.com/

Data being shared
1. IDFX files containing the keystroke logging data related to the entire text simplification process (see folder "PLanTra data_full process");
2. IDFX files split into first and second phase of text simplification process (see folder "PLanTra data_phases") - this folder also contains the pivot point that we used to separate phase 1 from phase 2 (see Excel file "pivot_point_phases");
3. Corpus of texts produced by the participants (see folder "PLanTra data_texts").

Note: We have already removed IDFX files that were damaged or unusable. Furthermore, we have already removed "noise" from the IDFX files (e.g. technical start of the task). Therefore, all of the data made available in this folder are ready for analysis.

How to read the acronyms in the folder:
PE = participant in the experimental group
PC = participant in the control group
Pre-test = data collected during the pre-test session (i.e. prior to training)
Post-test = data collected during the post-test session (i.e. following training)

If you use our data, please cite the following article: Rossetti, A. & Van Waes, L. (under review). "It's not just a phase: Investigating text simplification in a second language from a process and product 
perspective". Frontiers in Artificial Intellingence.

If you have questions, please contact the researchers involved: alessandra.rossetti@uantwerpen.be / luuk.vanwaes@uantwerpen.be

Funding
This project (PLanTra) has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 888918.