Principle
Put the caveat beside the decision it can change
A caveat is useful only before the reader commits to the wrong interpretation.
When it fits
- Important limitations are buried in a footer or final paragraph.
When to avoid it
- Do not overload every statement with remote caveats; surface the ones that materially change action.
Why it matters
If an uncertainty, exception or scope limit can change the decision, place it next to the recommendation or result. Use a short boundary sentence, not a generic disclaimer block.
An example
'Use file A for PM4. Boundary: PS4 is missing the delivery-block field, so do not copy it unchanged.'
Check your result
The reader encounters the decision-changing limitation before acting.
Keep this limit in mind
- Do not overload every statement with remote caveats; surface the ones that materially change action.
Evidence and sources
CDC guidance explicitly recommends distinguishing what authoritative sources know and do not know rather than presenting uncertainty as settled.
The exact evidence standard depends on domain; this supports uncertainty labeling, not scientific review of ordinary work messages.
How to Use the CDC Clear Communication Index · State of the science item
ONS content guidance recommends frontloading important information because readers often scan for task-relevant material rather than reading linearly.
The guidance is for web content and is applied here by analogy to async work communication.
Writing and editing: Structuring content · Frontload your content and descriptive headings