Addressing PhD In Email - Straight Dope Message Board

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Factual Questions andstufflikethat March 25, 2013, 5:00pm 1 I received an email signed “John Smith, PhD” and was wondering how to address this person. I should still write “Dr. Smith” even though he didn’t, right?Thank you! Really_Not_All_That_Bright March 25, 2013, 5:02pm 2 In a professional setting, yes. If you are emailing him about an eBay listing, don’t bother.ETA: relevant thread: You have an MD or a PhD. Do you make people call you "Doctor" in social settings? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board andstufflikethat March 25, 2013, 5:04pm 3 He is the head of the department in my university program. Thanks for the quick response. Really_Not_All_That_Bright March 25, 2013, 5:05pm 4 Then yes. Can’t hurt if you do, might hurt if you don’t. You’re probably better off with Professor XYZ, though. MikeS March 25, 2013, 5:08pm 5 In that case, “Professor Smith” would also be appropriate, but either one is technically correct. Speaking as a professor (and PhD) myself, I prefer “Professor”, but I wouldn’t take offense at either one. Pasta March 25, 2013, 5:17pm 6 I concur. “Dr. Smith” or “Professor Smith”. Definitely not “Mr. Smith”, if that’s what you were otherwise considering. There are circumstances where “John” would be appropriate, but given that you’re asking this question, yours isn’t one. Leo_Bloom March 25, 2013, 5:31pm 7

I concur. “Dr. Smith” or “Professor Smith”. Definitely not “Mr. Smith”, if that’s what you were otherwise considering. There are circumstances where “John” would be appropriate…

And there also are circumstances where “honey-bunny schmoopsie big-boy love machine” would be appropriate.Just for the record. Ms_Boods March 25, 2013, 5:44pm 8

Then yes. Can’t hurt if you do, might hurt if you don’t. You’re probably better off with Professor XYZ, though.

It depends on whether you’re in the UK or the US, though (the OP doesn’t say where s/he is) – ‘professor’ is a distinct title and not used to address every lecturer (and some professors here get very cross when addressed merely as ‘Dr.’)I went by both Doctor and Professor when I taught in the States, but as a lecturer in Britain am addressed in writing as Doctor. *(A few years back a British friend asked me what I did, and I said I was a history professor – his response: ‘:dubious: Bit young, surely?’ as professors here are usually very senior faculty.)If that’s the case, OP, the department website should have your instructor’s position listed so that you know how you ought to address them.*And it startled the heck out of me to find out that at least at my university it’s commonplace for the students to address even the most senior faculty by our first names! Frylock March 25, 2013, 6:03pm 9

And there also are circumstances where “honey-bunny schmoopsie big-boy love machine” would be appropriate.

Just for the record.

That’s Dr. honey-bunny schmoopsie big-boy love machine.I worked hard for that title. Pasta March 25, 2013, 6:18pm 10

at least at my university it’s commonplace for the students to address even the most senior faculty by our first names!

This goes toward the “just ‘John’” circumstances. In research-oriented universities, students and faculty often interact as research colleagues rather than as teacher-and-student. In scientific fields at least, the philosophy that ideas and reason trump hierarchy has shaped the social dynamics. The transition from overtly deferential greetings to “Hi, John” typically happens in graduate school, occasionally earlier, although even grad students often seem uncertain about what to call those senior to them. (This isn’t universal. In Japan, for example, hierarchy is more deeply rooted in social interactions, and deference is often overt even in scientific settings.) Voyager March 25, 2013, 6:32pm 11 First, it is really odd that someone at a high level in a university program uses PhD in a signature. It is kind of assumed.But in any case Professor usually is considered better than Doctor, since the department might have a bunch of post Docs not at the professor level. The only exception I know if is one school where some professors didn’t have doctorates. Blaster_Master March 25, 2013, 6:44pm 12 If he’s the head of a department, he may not be a professor, and so calling him professor may be inappropriate. At least in my experience all through grad school, I never had a professor take issue with being called Doctor, but that could be different depending on the culture. My department was pretty laid back and, in fact, many of my professors had students calling them by first name.That said, my rule would be that if someone has PhD in their signature, then Doctor ought to be appropriate. If they wanted to be Professor, they should have some version of professor in their signature instead, like:John Smith, PhD Associate Professor Department of MathematicsSo, I’d say address him as Dr. Smith or Dr. John Smith. If you have a more precise title you can look up, go with that. But generally, people who include stuff like PhD or whatever in their signatures do so because that’s how they want to be addressed. scr4 March 25, 2013, 7:00pm 13

I received an email signed “John Smith, PhD” and was wondering how to address this person. I should still write “Dr. Smith” even though he didn’t, right?

“John Smith, Ph.D” is equivalent to “Dr. John Smith”*. So practically, he did refer to himself as a “Dr.”, and so should you. Although as others said, if he is a Professor, that is also acceptable and may be preferable.(* Except of course the latter is less precise, as it may refer to a John Smith, MD. Or Ed.D. Or a few other possibilities.) alphaboi867 March 25, 2013, 7:11pm 14

…But in any case Professor usually is considered better than Doctor, since the department might have a bunch of post Docs not at the professor level. The only exception I know if is one school where some professors didn’t have doctorates.

Junior colleges & community colleges often have professors who don’t have doctorates. This is also common in some departments of 4-yr schools. I’ve had professors who only had MBAs. Voyager March 25, 2013, 7:30pm 15 So, all this is strongly dependent on the culture of the place. It might be that the guy does a lot of consulting and uses PhD in his signature as a marketing too, but doesn’t expect it to be used within the school. I’m on a committee where maybe 40% of us have PhDs, and if anyone called anyone else Doctor everyone would break out laughing. When I worked in Bell Labs someone started calling everyone Doctor this and Doctor that, and was gently told not to since “we don’t want people coming to us with their headaches.” flight March 25, 2013, 7:54pm 16

When I worked in Bell Labs someone started calling everyone Doctor this and Doctor that, and was gently told not to since “we don’t want people coming to us with their headaches.”

In Engineering I have found that those in University settings tend to emphasize the Dr a lot more and expect it. In government and private industry it is used a lot less among researchers. tim314 March 25, 2013, 8:03pm 17

I went by both Doctor and Professor when I taught in the States, but as a lecturer in Britain am addressed in writing as Doctor. *(A few years back a British friend asked me what I did, and I said I was a history professor – his response: ‘:dubious: Bit young, surely?’ as professors here are usually very senior faculty.)

What do they call the equivalent of lower-level professors? Are they just called “lecturer” or “researcher”?In my experience in the States all tenure-track people are some sort of “professor”, e.g. Assisstant Professor, Associate Professor, etc., whereas a “lecturer” is not someone working towards tenure. Pasta March 25, 2013, 8:11pm 18

What do they call the equivalent of lower-level professors? Are they just called “lecturer” or “researcher”?

In my experience in the States all tenure-track people are some sort of “professor”, e.g. Assisstant Professor, Associate Professor, etc., whereas a “lecturer” is not someone working towards tenure.

The approximate US/UK mapping is: assistant professor / lecturer associate professor / reader professor / professor Amateur_Barbarian March 25, 2013, 8:15pm 19

And there also are circumstances where “honey-bunny schmoopsie big-boy love machine” would be appropriate.

Just for the record.

And don’t forget, “Hey, Asshole!”…just to complete the record.I occasionally receive mail saluted, “Dear Dr. NitroPress” which tickles me. They’re usually academics who assume that I must be a phud to have… come to their attention. Chronos March 25, 2013, 10:44pm 20 To be clear, was the “John Smith, PhD” part in the portion of the e-mail he typed himself in his correspondence with you, or was it part of a block of contact-information signature at the bottom? Because a block signature is always highly formal, but putting the PhD in the hand-typed part is a bit pretentious.next page → Related topics