Use initial capitals for the titles of individual academics and professionals

The academic and professional titles held by individuals usually have initial capitals. This includes honorary titles.

Use lower case if you use a title generically.

Use full titles in certain contexts

Academics and professionals are often addressed by their ‘full title’. A full title includes the title or honorific (with initial capitals), name, post-nominals, position and organisation.

Use a full title:

• to introduce an individual as speaker
• in address and signature blocks in correspondence
• in official records of proceedings
• in lists in organisational publications such as annual reports
• if it is important to know where an individual works.

A full title is often about using titles in a display or presentation context (display text).

Titles immediately before a name

Use initial capitals for titles that appear immediately before a person’s name. Do this unless the title is generic.

Also use initial capitals for the shortened forms of titles.

Shortened forms for titles immediately before a name

Only use shortened forms of titles in limited circumstances. People might understand common contractions like ‘Prof’ for ‘Professor’, but some shortened forms are confusing. For example, the initialism for ‘Pro Vice-Chancellor’ is ‘PVC’. To ensure your content is readable, write the title in full.

Shortened forms are sometimes necessary because of limited space. For example, shortened forms often appear in tables. List the full form of any title that people might find confusing in a note.

The space available for image captions can be limited, but write the full names and titles as a default. If you have to use initials and the shortened forms of titles in a caption, always include the full forms in body text to provide context.

‘Dr’ is an exception in all instances. Like ‘Ms’ and ‘Mr’, ‘Dr’ is easy to understand when it appears before a name.

Titles that replace a name

Use initial capitals for official titles that replace a name.

Titles replacing a name also have initial capitals:

• when you address someone directly
• for salutations in correspondence.

For all other uses, titles that replace a name should be lower case.

These other uses include abbreviated titles and titles given by an organisation to a role or position. Academic and professional organisations might capitalise such titles as a mark of respect or status, but this is not Australian Government style. Treat them as generic and use lower case.

Titles after a name

Use lower case for most titles that appear after a name. These titles describe the individual and are generic.

There is one exception. Only use initial capitals for titles after a name in a full title.

This includes for:

• address and signature blocks in correspondence
• lists in organisational publications such as annual reports.

Follow your organisation’s template style for signature blocks. Templates apply design elements and list all elements in correct order. Some organisations prefer all capitals for names, titles and the organisation’s name.

Use lower case for titles used in a generic way

Generic use of academic and professional titles includes:

• titles that describe a named individual
• plural titles
• common nouns.

As shown in the previous section, most titles that appear after a name are generic.

Some titles appearing immediately before a name are also generic because they describe the individual. These titles are usually preceded by ‘the’ or a modifier. Adjectives are modifiers because they restrict the meaning of a noun.

Use title, name and post-nominals at first mention

When you write about an individual, it’s respectful to use their title.

The first time you mention someone in body text, use their academic or professional title before their first name and last name, followed by post-nominals.

If you mention the individual again, only use the title and last name. Some academic titles have an accepted abbreviated title you can use after the first mention.

Never use the shortened form of the title in body text (‘Prof’ for example), except for the contraction ‘Dr’.

Write post-nominals after the name in academic and professional titles

Post-nominals are letters after a name that stand for academic, civil and military awards and honours.

Make sure you write post-nominals in the right order.

Don’t use commas before or between post-nominals.

Use post-nominals at first mention only

The first time you write a name in body text, use the academic and professional title along with the first and last name. Include the post-nominal for a civil or military honour in the title.

If you mention the name again, use the title and last name, but don’t include the post-nominal.

Include post-nominals in the shortened forms of titles

Retain any post-nominals for civil and military honours when using the shortened forms of titles.

Use post-nominals for academic and professional qualifications in 2 contexts

Post-nominals can also stand for tertiary and professional qualifications.

Use these post-nominals:

• for correspondence within the academic community
• to show relevant expertise.

Don’t include both ‘Dr’ (doctorate) and ‘PhD’ (Doctor of Philosophy) for the one name. It is conventional to use either the title or the post-nominal. This also applies to PhD equivalents such as ‘LLD’ (Doctor of Laws).

Don’t include post-nominals for master and bachelor degrees in correspondence.

Titles for academics

In most contexts, address academics with their full title: title or honorific, name, position, post-nominals and academic institution.

An academic who is knighted

Use ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’ after the academic title.

Emails and letters to academics

Keep the initial capital for the title in correspondence when you’re writing to a specific person.

In formal correspondence:

• Open with ‘Chancellor’ (or ‘Vice-Chancellor’, ‘Professor’ and so on).
• Conclude with ‘Yours faithfully’.

In less formal correspondence:

• Open with ‘Dear Chancellor’ (or ‘Vice-Chancellor’, ‘Professor’ and so on).
• Conclude with ‘Yours sincerely’.

Don’t include a comma after these phrases. Australian Government style is to write salutations without punctuation.

How to address associate and assistant professors correctly in correspondence differs by country and educational institution.

For Australian correspondence, write ‘Dear Associate Professor’ and ‘Dear Assistant Professor’ not ‘Dear Doctor’ or ‘Dear Professor’.

People with doctorates

You can address people who hold a doctorate as ‘Doctor’ or ‘Dr’ (without a full stop). Today, it is acceptable to use ‘Dear Dr Name’ for both formal and informal correspondence.

When writing ‘Dear’ without the person’s name in emails and letters, write the title ‘Doctor’ in full.

Don’t include a comma after these phrases.

A holder of a doctorate who is knighted

If the holder of a doctorate is knighted, don’t address them as ‘Doctor’.

Instead, address the person by ‘Sir’ or ‘Dame’. Write the post-nominals for the knighthood after the name, followed by any other post-nominals. Don’t insert commas before or between the post-nominals.

Titles for medical practitioners, dentists and veterinarians

Use ‘Doctor’ or ‘Dr’ for medical practitioners, dentists and veterinarians, whether or not they hold a doctorate. Those with a doctorate may choose to add the post-nominal ‘PhD’.

Use ‘Professor’, ‘Associate Professor’ or ‘Assistant Professor’ for doctors who hold these titles at academic institutions. Some doctors who hold professorships choose to use ‘Dr’ when working in clinical practice.

Surgeons in human medicine are traditionally called ‘Mr’, ‘Ms’ or their preferred gender-appropriate honorific. Some surgeons prefer to use ‘Dr’. For example, a search of the website of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons shows that council members use ‘Dr’, ‘Miss’, ‘Mr’, ‘Ms’, ‘Professor’ and ‘Associate Professor’.

It is best to contact the doctor’s practice if you are unsure of their preferred honorific. You are unlikely to cause offence if you use the title (or honour) awarded most recently.