phd with dots or not

How to use the PhD title and all the little doctorate “rules”… use ph.d etc the correct way.

There are many conventions in the academic world that can make it difficult to navigate the philosophiae doctor title. The PhD title is awarded to those who have completed a doctoral degree but, not many people know how to use it once they have it.

It’s best to use PhD not Ph.D in most cases!

This article will go through everything you need to know about using the PhD title and when you can start using it.

The “rules” are relatively simple and can be broken as they are not officially set in stone – other than when you can officially call yourself a doctor.

There is no one correct answer but it may be misleading if you use the PhD title incorrectly. Here are the recommendations for effective communication for a PhD graduate.

It very much depends on the setting. Here are some examples of how I would use both the titles awarded to me after my PhD degree.

How do you Write PhD correctly after a name? Is it ph d or phd and ph.d? Abbreviation explained

It can be confusing to know exactly how to write PhD after your name as a person with a doctoral degree. Which bits are capitalised for a person with a doctoral degree? Is there a ‘.’ In the middle?

When writing a name with a PhD after it, the correct way to do so is to use “PhD” or “Ph.D. or Ph D”

Depending on the preference of the individual, either form can be used.

However, if the individual has a business card that states their degree in full, then the more formal “Doctor of Philosophy” should be used.

It is important to note that using “PhD” without any periods is incorrect; this abbreviation should only be used in informal contexts such as emails or text messages. I tend to use PhD in my YouTube videos and some people have pointed out that this is incorrect…

Following the individual’s preferred format will ensure that their name and credentials are properly represented.

Should you use Dr as well as PhD?

Some people like to use Dr and PhD in their official titles. There are a couple of important points that you need to know about markers and academic titles.

• A person can have more than one marker in their name. For example my full title is Dr Andrew Stapleton, PhD, MChem.
• The doctor title at the front can be used as a variant to the PhD at the end.

It can be a little bit ambiguous if I was to use Dr Andrew Stapleton, PhD as there are two markers. This could mean that I have two PhD’s, it could mean that I have a PhD and a medical doctorate, or it could just be that I want to use both the doctor and the PhD tags for the one degree.

However, in my experience, I still like to use both the title of doctor at the front and the PhD tag at the end of my name for official purposes.

Academics would rarely use the PhD suffix in everyday communication. They would much rather just use the doctor title.

What is the proper title for a PhD with a doctorate degree?

The proper title for a PhD is Doctor of Philosophy. However, some teachers and professors like to be referred to without their official title.

If you are not sure about how your professor, lecturer, or friend with a PhD wishes to be officially addressed you can ask them.

Most of the time, I like to refer to my colleagues with their doctor title for official purposes, but I do not include the type of doctoral degree at the end of their name. That is much better suited to a business card.

Your lecture may wish to be referred to as:

• Dr [last name]
• Dr [first name]

Asking them in the early stages of your relationship is the best way to work out which one they prefer.

If in doubt, always go for the more formal name and nomenclature.

When can you start to use your PhD title after your doctorate? As a PhD student? After your phd thesis?

When you have earned your PhD, you, as a person with a doctoral degree, can start using your title immediately. Although, it can be a little bit confusing as to when you have actually passed your PhD. Is it when you have submitted your dissertation for the advanced degree? Is it when you have received the comments back?

The University of Adelaide says that you can use it from your conferral date:

Students can be conferred on one of five dates during the year and for PhD students the conferral date will be the first available following the completion of all the academic requirements of your degree, including final thesis lodgement and the disbursement of any outstanding financial obligations to the University.

I started using my PhD title as soon as my confirmation letter arrived at my house. It was the first letter from the University that referred to me as Dr Stapleton. I was incredibly excited.

Generally, it is acceptable to use the title “Dr.” both professionally and socially but socially, people very rarely use it – at least in Australia. But you should never use it if you are a PhD student, PhD candidate or enrolled in a PhD program without a previous PhD qualification. 

I do use it in professional settings but it always makes me feel a little bit awkward.

However, there may be some restrictions for certain settings . For example, if have a research degree resulting in a doctor title and you are working in a medical setting – some institutions do not like you to use Dr as it can confuse patients into thinking that you have a medical degree. 

Instead, they ask that you use the PhD tag at the end of your name rather than the doctoral title for official and professional communications.

What is the correct way to write PhD?

When writing about someone’s PhD, the correct way is to write the term in full and capitalize each letter.

This should be done for all academic degrees, not just PhDs.

For example, it would be “Doctor of Philosophy” or “PhD” instead of “Ph.D.”, “Dr.”, or “DPhil”.

Additionally, it is common to mention the field of study in which the degree was earned if known, such as “Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics”. It is also good practice to include the institution that granted the degree if it is a recognized one.

When writing about someone’s PhD, use proper capitalization and include relevant information like field of study and institution if known to ensure accuracy.

How do you put a PhD in a title?

Putting a PhD in a title is not as complicated as it may sound.

Generally speaking, the proper way to list a PhD in an academic or professional setting is by writing “Dr.” before the name, followed by the person’s full name and the appropriate abbreviations for their degree.

For example, if John Smith has earned a doctorate in psychology, his credentials would be listed as “Dr. John Smith, Ph.D.”

In some cases, such as when addressing someone formally in speech or on a business card, it may also be acceptable to list their credentials as “John Smith, Ph.D.”

Depending on context and personal preference, some people may also choose to list their higher degrees after their names by writing out the entire degree instead of just its abbreviation.

For example, John Smith could choose to write his full title as “John Smith, Doctor of Psychology”

However, I have not seen this in real academic life.

Should the font size of Ph.D. be the same as someone’s name?

The question of whether the font size of a Ph.D. should be the same as someone’s name is an interesting one.

On one hand, it could be argued that the Ph.D. deserves to be highlighted and therefore should be given a larger font size than someone’s name to denote its importance.

On the other, it could be argued that this would not be necessary or appropriate, and that treating everyone equally regardless of their title or degree is more important.

It depends on context and usage – if both names appear in the same document then they should likely have the same font size; however, if one appears in a formal setting such as a diploma or certificate, then it may make sense to give it a larger font size than someone’s name to emphasize its importance and significance.

Ph.Ds (or PhDs) are an important academic achievement and should be respected accordingly but without going overboard by giving them overly large fonts sizes which can take away from rather than add to their importance.

Wrapping up – doctoral title rules

This article has been over everything you need to know that using the PhD title properly and effectively, since the person has worked hard to earn a degree very few people have.

The doctor title can be used in place of the PhD and for incredibly formal communications, such as a business email or card, you can use both.

However, sometimes using both can cause confusion as to whether or not there is a reason first using both the doctor and PhD tags. Nonetheless, many people still use both.

Frequently Asked Questions about using PhD or Ph.d

1. what does phd stand for.

A PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy , which is a doctoral degree that represents the highest level of academic achievement in a specific field of study.

2. Is Ph.d the same as PhD?

Yes, Ph.d is the abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy , and both terms are used interchangeably to refer to the same academic degree .

3. Can I use the title ‘Doctor’ with a PhD?

Individuals who hold a PhD have the right to use the title “Doctor” in front of their name as they are a person with a doctoral degree .

4. What is the correct way to write PhD?

The correct way to write PhD is with no spaces and with both letters capitalized, following the standard abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy .

5. How do I abbreviate Doctor of Philosophy?

You can abbreviate Doctor of Philosophy as PhD , which is the most commonly used abbreviation for this type of doctoral degree .

6. Can I use both the title ‘Dr.’ and ‘PhD’ together?

Yes, you can use both the title ‘Dr.’ and ‘PhD’ together to denote your academic achievement as a holder of a doctorate degree .

7. What is a dissertation in relation to a PhD?

A dissertation is a scholarly document that Ph.D candidates are required to submit as part of their research degree in a specific field.

8. Who is considered a PhD candidate?

A PhD candidate is a student enrolled in a PhD program working towards the completion of their doctoral studies.

9. Is a PhD also referred to as a Doctorate?

Yes, a PhD is also commonly referred to as a Doctorate , signifying the attainment of the highest

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

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PhD or Ph.D? Which is correct?

PhD and Ph.D are both correct ways to indicate the title, or honorific, of a doctor. However, Ph.D isn’t nearly as common as PhD. In fact, Ph.D is an old-fashioned method of writing it. But, there’s nothing wrong with using it that way. However, it’s more visually correct and recognizable in the modern world as PhD.

So, while there aren’t really any rules to remember for using PhD or Ph.D, it’s important to understand what it means. Plus the history of it will give you a little trivia.

Ph.D History

The earliest known documented use of Ph.D is from 1869. It’s an abbreviation of the Latin phrase, “Philosophiae Doctor” or “Doctor of Philosophy.” But “Philosophiae” has roots in ancient Greek, which translates into “love of wisdom.” To call someone a “doctor” is another way to say “learned person.”

The title PhD is the more common version in modern times and it means the same thing. These are people who receive doctorate degrees, which is the highest level of education someone can get. As it was back in 1869, the placement of the honorific can be before or after a name.

Examples of both PhD and Ph.D

The examples below show the myriad of ways in how to use and where to place PhD or Ph.D as an honorific for a person.

Dr. Ken Wellington, PhD

Professor Cynthia Kline, PhD

In many cases, doctors will have other degrees of study alongside their doctoral education. These additional honorifics indicate that.

Should I Write Ph.D. or PhD? (Complete Guide)

As some of you are probably aware, the kind of English used on my side of the pond (England) is sometimes a bit different to the English used in the land of burgers and Trump.

Some words are spelt differently. But others just have a few bits of grammar difference.

Today, I want to look at the difference between Ph.D. and PhD. We’ll look at which one is correct, what it stands for, and why it’s a bit odd that it stands for that.

Should I Write Ph.D. Or PhD?

It is correct to write both Ph.D. and PhD. Which one is best to use depends on where you are in the world. In Great Britain, they tend to use Ph.D. In the United States of America, they prefer to use Ph.D.

What Does Ph.D. Or PhD Stand For?

Let’s try to understand what Ph.D. stands for.

It stands for two things. And it doesn’t stand for one or the other, it stands for both of them at the same time.

The first thing is “Doctor of Philosophy” and the second is “Philosophiae Doctor”. As the eagle-eyed among you may have noticed, “Philosophiae” is not English. It’s in Latin.

This goes back to the days when the only people who needed university were high thinkers and philosophers.

Why Americans And Brits Disagree On Ph.D. Or PhD

This could help us to understand why Brits prefer PhD but Americans prefer Ph.D.

Perhaps, according to the Brits, it stands for “Philosophiae Doctor”. But, according to the Americans, it stands for “Doctor or Philosophy”.

After all, the Brits do have a habit of trying to sound smarter. But, whichever one you use, people on both sides should know what you’re saying.

Why Ph.D. Or PhD Is A Bit Strange

Now, I want you all to understand how strange it is to call anyone with a PhD a “doctor of Philosophy”.

Let’s say someone gets a Ph.D. in history.

Well, first of all, is she really a doctor? If you break your leg, she’s not the first person you’ll go to for help.

But not only that, she studied history, not philosophy. So, she’s called a doctor of philosophy despite not being a doctor and not having studied history.

Yet, for some reason, we still call her a “Doctor of philosophy”.

Where Does The Word “Doctor” Come From?

When most of us hear the word “Doctor”, we think of someone who makes us better when we’re sick. And there may be a few of you who think of a skinny man who travels through time in a Police Box.

But originally, “Doctor” was Latin for teacher. Through time, you were able to get a “PhD” in more things than just philosophy.

And, if you wanted to become what we think of as a “Doctor”, you would need to have a “doctorate” in medicine.

Technically, “Doctor” would be the wrong word. But it’s become so common, it’s managed to “common” itself enough to become the right word.

How To Get A Ph.D. Or PhD

Now I’m afraid you can’t just walk into a university and walk out with a PhD. There are steps you need to take before you get there.

First of all, you will need to do a Bachelor’s degree. This is the degree you do when you first enter university. There are some jobs where a bachelors is enough.

Let’s be honest here, most of the time you spend doing a bachelor is just having fun.

If you want to, you can then progress onto doing a master’s degree. This is a bit more high level, and you tend to need to work for it.

Once you have your bachelors you may decide to go on to get a PhD. If you go for this, you will be officially able to call yourself an intellectual.

What Kind Of Word Is Ph.D. Or PhD?

There are three ideas for what kind of word Ph.D. is. I’ll tell you all of them and let you make up your own mind.

A PhD is something you have. You work towards it, and once you’ve handed in all of your papers, you get a PhD.

A PhD is also something you are. If you have a PhD, you might say “I’m a PhD.”

It can also be a title, similar to “Sir” or “OBE”.

If your name is James Smith, and you are PhD, your name and title could be, Mr James Smith PhD.

How To Address Someone With A Ph.D. Or PhD

Talking of this man called James Smith, there are several ways to address and introduce him.

• If you have a Ph.D., you are allowed to call yourself “Doctor” even if you don’t have a PhD in medicine. Therefore, if he wants, James could be called Dr Smith.
• Maybe he doesn’t want to be confused for a medical doctor but still wants to show off his Ph.D. In that case, we can call him James Smith PhD.
• But, like many with a Ph.D., he may not want to mention it unless it’s important. If he’s one of these people, we should just call him Mr Smith.

Ph.D. Or PhD Vs Doctorate

Asking “What’s the difference between a PhD and a doctorate?” is a bit like asking what the difference is between an apple and a fruit.

Just like an apple is a kind of fruit, a PhD is a kind of doctorate. However, it’s not the only doctorate there is.

Here are some forms of doctorate you may want to know.

Doctor of philosophy. But now also means Doctor of something there isn’t a doctorate for.

Doctorate in business.

Doctorate in engineering.

Doctorate in education

Doctor of medicine.

If you were wondering whether you should write “PhD” or “Ph.D.”, you can write either, both are grammatically correct, and both are very common terms that mean the same thing.

The only slight difference is that “PhD” is more common in England and “Ph.D.” is more common in America. This is perhaps because the British believe it stands for “philosophiae doctor” but Americans see it as “Doctor of Philosophy”.

But, no matter whether you use “PhD” or “Ph.D.”, to have one, you neither need to be a doctor nor study philosophy. All you need to do is stay in university for long enough to be able to get yourself a PhD. Then, you can become a PhD, and your title will be PhD.

You may also like: DSc Degree vs. PhD Degree – What’s the Difference? 9 Correct Ways to Write PhD Title on a Business Card

Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here .

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PhD, Ph.D., Dr.

In English, PhD can be written with or without periods; both are correct. The trend today is to drop periods with abbreviations of academic degrees. However, many sources, including the Canadian Oxford Dictionary , still recommend the use of periods: Ph.D.

When you are addressing a person with a doctoral degree, it is considered more polite to use the title Dr. or the academic abbreviation PhD with the person’s name, instead of the simple courtesy titles Mr. or Ms.

Note: Do not use both the title and the degree. If the degree is listed after the name, the title is not used before the name.

• Chris Cameron, PhD.
• Dr. Chris Cameron

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The Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D.

in Education | September 26th, 2012 48 Comments

Matthew Might , a com­put­er sci­ence pro­fes­sor at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Utah, writes: “Every fall, I explain to a fresh batch of Ph.D. stu­dents what a Ph.D. is. It’s hard to describe it in words. So, I use pic­tures.” It’s Sep­tem­ber 26. That means fall is here again, and it’s time to bring you an encore pre­sen­ta­tion of Mat­t’s  Illus­trat­ed Guide to the PhD . Have a look, and you’ll see the whole under­tak­ing in a less hubris­tic way:

Imag­ine a cir­cle that con­tains all of human knowl­edge:

By the time you fin­ish ele­men­tary school, you know a lit­tle:

By the time you fin­ish high school, you know a bit more:

With a bach­e­lor’s degree, you gain a spe­cial­ty:

A mas­ter’s degree deep­ens that spe­cial­ty:

Read­ing research papers takes you to the edge of human knowl­edge:

Once you’re at the bound­ary, you focus:

You push at the bound­ary for a few years:

Until one day, the bound­ary gives way:

And, that dent you’ve made is called a Ph.D.:

Of course, the world looks dif­fer­ent to you now:

So, don’t for­get the big­ger pic­ture:

Keep push­ing.

You can find Mat­t’s Illus­trat­ed Guide host­ed on his web site . This guide/reality check is pub­lished under a Cre­ative Com­mons License. You can also buy a print ver­sion for $6.50 . (The mon­ey goes to char­i­ty.) Matt offers more insights for Ph.D. stu­dents here .

by OC | Permalink | Comments (48) |

Related posts:

Comments (48), 48 comments so far.

Wait, but you left out the final sen­tence at the end of the illus­tra­tion! It isn’t com­plete with­out it …

I remem­ber watch­ing some­one one cam­pus bang at the bot­tom of their car for a good 10 min­utes with a ham­mer. I watched as a police offi­cer stopped, talked to the man, watched him, then left, fol­lowed by some main­te­nance vehi­cle, who stopped, watched the man, and then left. I final­ly went over to the exhaust­ed, defeat­ed man and asked if I could help. He said that he had a flat tire and that the spare was stuck under the car. I asked if there was an own­er’s man­u­al in the glove box, and he said he did­n’t know. We looked, found the own­er’s man­u­al, and with­in 60 sec­onds had released the tire from under the car. nHe laughed and shrugged his shoul­ders and said ‘they don’t teach us pro­fes­sor’s these kinds of things!’ We put the tire on and he was appre­cia­tive. nI am not a smart man, but I know where to find the own­er’s man­u­al in cars and how to fol­low direc­tions. It is my obser­va­tion that spe­cial­iza­tion can have the dev­as­tat­ing effect of ‘the death of the gen­er­al­ist.’ Even just basic knowledge.…such as that of our grand­par­ents’ gen­er­a­tion. Peo­ple may know a lot about microbes or strate­gies to deal with infla­tion or about ques­tions like ‘what is sci­ence?’ or ‘what is moral­i­ty?’, but a world that has more philoso­phers than plumbers will soon find itself with­out water or the pipes to car­ry it.

could you have just told us in the begin­ning their are bumps on the cir­cle ?

For what­ev­er it may be worth: As the num­ber of dents increas­es around the ring, the sum total of human knowl­edge increas­es. Right? Then, after aver­ag­ing, the cir­cle becomes a bit big­ger. Make sense? I don’t have a Ph.D. and won’t go for one.

I think it’s bet­ter to think of it as doc­u­ment­ing that whole strand of knowl­edge and extend­ing it slight­ly, not actu­al­ly mak­ing it any­more known necce­sair­ly. I’ve come up with lots of things dur­ing my under­grad their just not doc­u­ment­ed the ideas and knowl­edge still exists. PhD are the doc­u­men­ta­tion of knowl­edge to make sure human­i­ty will nev­er lose it, or let sci­ence delve too far into mys­ti­cism.

Thank you for this illus­tra­tion.

As a doc­tor­al stu­dent in Edu­ca­tion­al Tech­nol­o­gy, I’ve been heav­i­ly influ­enced by a the­o­ry of learn­ing and knowl­edge known as con­nec­tivism. George Sie­mans, at Athabas­ca Uni­ver­si­ty and Stephen Downes, at the Nation­al research Coun­cil of Cana­da orig­i­nat­ed, applied, and devel­oped the con­cepts of con­nec­tivism.

Knowl­edge cre­ation and learn­ing is asso­ci­at­ed with mak­ing con­nec­tions, both neu­ronal­ly and between under­stand­ings. Con­nec­tions may light up or acti­vate a net­work of asso­ci­a­tions together…as in pat­tern recog­ni­tion. New knowl­edge as in doc­tor­al research cap­tures new net­works of con­nec­tions. so the graph­ic of knowl­edge, if you will would look more like a dense mat of connections…I think rather like the blo­gos­phere. Ph. D. research inter­po­late, extrap­o­lates new net­works of con­nec­tions from exist­ing knowl­edge maybe with very dis­parate enti­ties along the x and y axis such as Biol­o­gy and Mechan­ics to cre­ate hybrid knowl­edges like Bio-Mechan­ics. Alter­na­tive­ly a Venn dia­gram could illus­trate knowl­edge cre­ation.

I find it fun­ny when the real­ly “smart” peo­ple reply to this and miss the obvi­ous point he’s mak­ing. Be hum­ble and keep per­spec­tive.

Get­ting a PhD is just the first step, a research career clear­ly does not end there. Once some­one has proven they can make a bump, then the real expan­sion begins. That lit­tle bump gets more promi­nent with each new research paper pub­lished, each hope­ful­ly more impact­ful than the PhD project itself.

The day I got my PhD I went to the gro­cery sto­ry to buy stuff for a cel­e­bra­to­ry meal. I had to wait in the check­out line for 20 min­utes. A reminder from the uni­verse that it all mat­ters, but not very much.

I would think the vast major­i­ty of peo­ple get­ting a Ph.D. nev­er actu­al­ly make a bump. They are stat­ing some­thing already known in a dif­fer­ent way that sat­is­fies their dis­ser­ta­tion com­mit­tee.

I agree with Phil. With the rare and spe­cial excep­tion, Ph.D stu­dents sim­ply stuck it out. A mas­ters now is what a BS was to our par­ents.

What about the post doc (or post docts) ? Is this lat­er­al knowl­ege and where are you start­ing in the cir­cle ?

So they’re the pim­ple on the ass of all human knowl­edge?

A grad school pro­fes­sor of mine took a few days off of the reg­u­lar cur­ricu­lum to talk about what hap­pens when one fin­ish­es their degrees It was his obser­va­tion that, once some­one got that piece of paper, they for­got the phras­es “I don’t know” and “I was wrong.”

As a grad stu­dent who has worked for a psy­chopath with­in an insti­tute of psy­chopaths I have to say that this is an incred­i­ble accu­rate descrip­tion of our life. Thank you.

all I saw was some boobs and then an enlarg­ing wiener??? what is that sup­posed to mean?

The nip­ple. You did­n’t see the nip­ple?

“Aagay doed peachay choed” run ahead and for­get the past.tat is y phd in bio­chem­istry in applied field gets neg­a­tive conc. lol

The way I see it is that it’s most­ly a prefer­able way of spend­ing one’s time to many oth­er options which do not allow us this lux­u­ry. By its own nature it seems far too arguable to estab­lish if we are actu­al­ly adding to human knowl­edge! More hilar­i­ty should be imple­ment­ed :)

I think this arti­cle was tar­get­ed to edu­cat­ed audi­ence who appre­ci­ates usage of visu­al aid. What this arti­cle explains that knowl­edge is at a con­tin­u­ous momen­tum. As we grow up and not get edu­cat­ed. Our think­ing and cre­ativ­i­ty abil­i­ty is just a size of small cir­cle. As we receive more and more edu­ca­tion, our per­spec­tive changes about things and real­i­ty and when you get a Phd. You get an oppor­tu­ni­ty to chal­lenge those log­ic and either deny it by reject­ing the hypothesis/logic and explain a new the­o­ry or fail to reject H0.

So in a con­tin­u­ous momen­tum, if knowl­edge is con­stant­ly increas­es bump by bump and we dont edu­cate our kids at a same ratio, our kids will be far from the real­i­ty and based assump­tions not on the log­ic but on the pref­er­ence of ppl sur­round­ed by them.

ex: Human repro­duc­tive sys­tem and human anato­my

I agree with Phil’s ear­li­er asser­tion, and also ques­tion as to why only insti­tu­tion­al­ly approved knowl­edge is con­sid­ered to add to human knowl­edge. I high­ly respect the acad­e­my, and what has been shared with me by instruc­tors and class­mates, yet I chal­lenge the idea of being con­sid­ered an “author­i­ty” because of the degree.

The prob­lem for me is that the process of increas­ing the world’s knowl­edge a tiny bit seems to have reduced MY knowl­edge of any­thing oth­er than that tiny bit.…

What sur­pris­es me most is the poor use­of Eng­lish and ter­ri­ble spelling by respon­ders…

@Bob Irv­ing: Exact­ly. The reduc­tion­ism inher­ent in the cur­rent mod­ern “West­ern” knowl­edge acqui­si­tion path is sad­sad­sad. As is the lack of col­lab­o­ra­tion and the inten­si­ty of the com­pe­ti­tion on the “bat­tle­field” at the out­er edge.

@Gwenette Writer Sin­clair: Reduc­tion­ism is a direct result of us being humans. We have lim­it­ed per­cep­tive capa­bil­i­ties and infor­ma­tion reten­tion capac­i­ty. Rough esti­mates put total mem­o­ry between 1–10TB, more than like­ly around 3TB (Robert Birge, Syra­cuse Uni­ver­si­ty, 1996) with a use­able mem­o­ry that ranges depend­ing on a myr­i­ad of envi­ron­men­tal and bio­log­i­cal fac­tors.

Include the lim­it­ed lifes­pan dur­ing which one has to suc­ces­ful­ly assim­i­late and under­stand com­plex the­o­ries and the hordes of relat­ed notes on these the­o­ries. One human being is going to inher­ent­ly be lim­it­ed to a very fine point in the grander scheme when explor­ing the edges of human knowl­edge.

That’s unless you’re a physi­cist because then your knowl­edge trumps all knowl­edge, or a meta­physi­cist and have the abil­i­ty to attain infi­nite wis­dom and knowl­edge through enlight­en­ment so screw sci­ence :p

I would cer­tain­ly agree that the state of sci­en­tifict pur­suit is bureau­crat­ic and dri­ven by the inter­ests of the grant-giv­ing par­ties. At the end of the day, what would you do? Give mil­lion dol­lar grants to research that has no prac­ti­cal appli­ca­tion on a resource starved plan­et? I won’t be naive to say that all research is based sole­ly on sav­ing our­selves, there is sub­stan­tial mil­i­tary inter­est as well. Maybe if/when we find our­selves in a less resource lim­it­ing sit­u­a­tion we might once again do research for the sake of know­ing.

For the moment, we need to save oru­selves.

meta­physics has been fal­si­fied by post­moder­ni­ty

Except Lev­inas’ very par­tic­u­lar notion of meta­physics (Total­i­ty and Infin­i­ty Pt1 A)nnAlso, the post­mod­ern con­di­tion does not fal­si­fy, it affirms.

Thatswwe­qwrt

phd = nip­ples of the world cir­cle

Last Point: Keep push­inggg… until it looks like a boob with erect­ed nip­ple ;)

Screw it. Go to busi­ness school instead!

Replace “Knowl­edge” with “Indus­try” and the rest is the same. Whether that is a ‘good’ thing or not is up to you.

Some peo­ple’s bumps are big­ger than oth­er’s.

That’s what s/he said

Just to keep this in per­spec­tive, let’s not for­get the def­i­n­i­tion of an expert: Some­one who knows more and more about less and less until even­tu­al­ly s/he knows every­thing about noth­ing.

I remem­ber a ver­sion of this cir­cle when being giv­en advice about teach­ing a short class. As an instruc­tor, you need to find out where the edge of the col­ored area is for the stu­dent. If you try to teach inside the col­ored area, they already know it, and you are wast­ing his time. If you try teach­ing in the red and the stu­den­t’s lim­it is in green, he won’t be able to under­stand and you are wast­ing his time. The instruc­tor needs to present mate­r­i­al out­side of the stu­den­t’s cir­cle of knowl­edge, but close enough that the stu­dent can grasp it and incor­po­rate it into and expand his cir­cle.

The dia­gram says noth­ing about a Ph.D.; it shows that the author is self-cen­tered.

what if the cir­cle looks like a euclid­ean cir­cle from above, but real­ly its hyper­bol­ic? then to the per­son who has the “big­ger pic­ture” the work of a phd stu­dent would appear to be infin­i­tes­i­mal in com­par­i­son to all knowl­edge. But zoom­ing in we realise that the man­i­fold isnt euclid­ean, and the actu­al­ly area of that tiny dot is much larg­er than it seems..

This is the worst Anal­o­gy I have ever had the mis­for­tune of com­ing across. so self indul­gent and a com­plete load of bol­locks to be hon­est. Good for you and your PHD bulge though. Good for you sir.

this is world where noth­ing is solved

WOT! Hey guys, it’s just a way of think­ing. Become mul­ti-dis­ci­pli­nary and think out­side the cir­cle. If you only have one dis­ci­pline your whole aca­d­e­m­ic career will sit there like a bull­dog fart. There are oth­er ways of think­ing and doing, just ask the Uni­verse.

That’s cute, but real­ly it isn’t nec­es­sar­i­ly knowl­edge that has been enlarged, but unique print­ed mate­r­i­al. Most dis­ser­ta­tions are nev­er read, and do not actu­al­ly con­tribute to fur­ther knowl­edge (which is what the cir­cle implies). The same with most aca­d­e­m­ic pub­lish­ing. Most pub­li­ca­tions are nev­er actu­al­ly cit­ed (except per­haps by the authors them­selves).

You clear­ly know some­thing of gen­er­al­i­ty by being so gen­er­al. “It is my obser­va­tion…” And yet what escapes your thoughts in words becomes a point; go back to Fig­ure 1: and begin again; you don’t pass go, and you don’t col­lect $200 for speak­ing gen­er­al­ly by way of a spe­cif­ic ref­er­ence called ‘John’.

Plen­ty of John’s like there is plen­ty of James’s, but I would nev­er use a mal­let to screw myself!

Inter­est­ing, so I sup­pose your envi­ron­ment and expe­ri­ence were not apart of your cir­cle the­o­ry? A man with schol­ar­ly knowl­edge requires so much more to attain the greater human knowl­edge. Thank­ful­ly com­put­er sci­ence has become a pim­ple on the advance­ment of human­i­ty.

Research papers take you to the edge of human knowl­edge? You have obvi­ous­ly lived in a insti­tu­tion­al­ized box far too long.

I think there is also anoth­er cir­cle before the ele­men­tary school that is pret­ty large. As you get old­er you real­ize that what chil­dren learn from their par­ent before they ever get into school has a lot to do with how much they learn there­after. Yes, I also agree with the bump at the end from my own expe­ri­ence. The oth­er exten­sion is what you do with it after that. Do you con­tin­ue to extend the bumps, or do you become a man­ag­er and retreat ?

Any­one else notice the phal­lic sym­bol­ism with this…

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PhD, Ph.D. and Ph.D

According to the Collins dictionary :

PhD in British abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy

Well in American

PhD in American or Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy

But sometimes I also see it's abbreviated to " Ph.D ".

Questions: Is PhD the only form used in British? And in American, both PhD and Ph.D. are acceptable? What about " Ph.D "? Is it used in some other areas?

• terminology

• "Ph.D" is internally inconsistent. Either you use the practice of using "." to indicate omitted characters or you don't. –  jsheeran Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 14:08
• pH D could also mean the pH value of Deuterium. Context is what makes these differences clear for the most part. –  Neil Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 14:15
• @Neil, I am only talking about the abbreviation of Doctor of Philosophy. –  dan Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 14:18
• 1 I'd like to know where you've seen it abbreviated as "Ph.D" – was it in reputable sources like published books, news articles, and published curricula from reputable institutions? Or merely in occasional discussion threads or online chats? It sounds like simple careless typing to me. –  J.R. ♦ Commented Dec 1, 2017 at 15:41
• 1 Sure, but periods with abbreviations are slowly slipping out of vogue. –  J.R. ♦ Commented Dec 2, 2017 at 3:53

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From admission to dissertation. Tips on making the PhD journey happy, productive and successful

How To Write PhD? Is it ph d or phd

How do you write phd correctly after a name is it ph d or phd, here are the steps to write phd correctly:.

• Firstly, “P” must be in a capital case.
• Secondly, “h” is in small case with no space after “P”
• Thirdly, use period/full-stop after “h”
• Fourthly, Write “D” in capital case.
• Fifthly, keep Period after “D”
• Finally, the correct way to write is Ph.D .
• Or, It can be also written as PhD in a sentence.
• As per APA style, write Ph. D
• As per Chicago style, write PhD
• As per MLA style, write it as Ph. D.

For example this is how to write PhD title after your name: Dr.John Mathew, Ph.D. You can write PhD after name on your business cards, resumes, CV’s or identity cards or on nameplates etc. Some have confusion with the use of comma and full stops while writing PhD title after name. Here is my indepth review how to write out properly PhD.

Writing a PhD title after name

Use capital “p” and “d” in the word ph.d..

You must write ‘P’ as capital and ‘D’ as capital letters. Though there is no strict rule on how to use capital and small letters, many of them do this way. Both letters which I have just mentioned must be written in Capital because those letters are the heart of the abbreviationPh.D. There is no other way of writing. Even if you search the whole world and ask many people and read many books, this is how PhD title is written.  Sometimes there are possibilities that both letters are written in small letters by mistake. You need to correct instantly if such is the case. Otherwise, it looks awkward when someone looks at it or reads it.  Usually, mistaken words are clearly observed than that of rightly written ones.

Use small letter ‘h’ in the word Ph.D.

The letter ‘h’ is what written small letter in this 3 letter word is.  We write it in a small letter after name because this letter ‘h’ is in the middle of the word Ph.D.  Here also don’t write mistake by using capital letters. This is the reason why many people write a PhD title after the name wrongly. They are confused about where to use capital letters and were not to use small letters. I suggest you practice all the letters in one or other way.

Why do we write a PhD title after the name?

We write a PhD title after the name to know that one has completed his doctoral studies and it is a sign of knowledge and status.  We write a Ph.D. even for other purposes. For example, if someone is working in a university, it is mandatory that his qualification must be known to all the students and as well as the staff. This is why we write the Ph.D. title after the name. Not only in the university but also to the competent authorities who come for an inspection to the university must know the status of the faculty profiles.  So the title Ph.D. is written after every faculty name as a title.

Should we use bold letters

I say a big no. You cannot write bold and fashioned way while writing PhD title after your name. As you write you must make it look similar along with the name without any difference. There is no way that you must write the Ph.D. title in bold fonts. This way, it looks very odd for those who look. Instead of reading your name, they will read Ph.D. firstly. So there is a chance of not remembering your name. So never use bold fonts while writing PhD title after your name.

Should we use Italic Letters

Again it is a big no. Do be too creative while writing a Ph.D. after your name. The use of italics is a big mistake. Do not use such writing in italics. Every time you use italic, again it looks very different from the original name adjacent to it.

Is Ph.D. a title after your name?

Do you think it is a PhD title or just a status?  It is both status and title.  Though in my personal opinion it is not a title, many call it as a title. But if you ask me I would tell it is a status word that is symbolically represented a matter of qualification. This is only my personal opinion about the title of Ph.D. So if at all you have some doubts about how this title arose as a part of history, you must read a vast number of history books about the Ph.D. title. It all requires for you to understand that a Ph.D. is not a title finally and just a resemblance of qualification.

Is it good to put PhD after title in your identity cards?

No, you must not use the title Ph.D. after your name in any type of identity card. These cards are existing irrespective of your qualification. This is meant to identify you as you are. There is no necessity what you have achieved. There is no need for knowing your qualifications. So in any type of identity card which is issued by the government like passport and voter card etc, you cannot use such title after your name. But there is one exception that the identity card at university or college or at job area must be given with Ph.D. title. If you ever need expert help with writing your Doctoral level papers, go to WriteMyPaperHub and send your request to  write my PhD thesis for me .

Should we use the subject name when using a Ph.D. with the name?

This thought is quite awkward. But I must still mention this. There are some who use the subject name after the Ph.D. title along with the name. Like for example Dr. Luke, Ph.D. in Linguistics. Using this way is quite reasonable if there are some important debates or international meetups. Otherwise, I don’t suggest such type of writing after your name.

What happens if you don’t use a Ph.D. after your name?

If you do not use the Ph.D. title after your name, people around you won’t know that you are a doctoral research fellow. So it is very important to let them know it. You can only use this if at all there are some students around you or any known people. If there are unknown people around you, then there is no way that it is mandatory to use a Ph.D. after your name. Anyhow, I say that there is no danger of not using Ph.D. after your name.

Should comma be addded before or after PhD

Yes, a comma is a mandatory thing to be added after Ph.D. This is a rule. Otherwise, it is mixed combined with your original name. It will become part of your name. So comma is good after your name. I have already given the example above on how to put a comma after your name. But let me give here one more example as a matter of understanding.  Dr.Mohima, Ph.D. If you see the name, for example, there is a comma used after the name to separate Ph.D. from it. So try to put a comma. But never use another punctuation mark as such full stop or colon after your name. I have seen people using other punctuation marks like semicolon after name and then they write the title Ph.D. Some don’t use at all. All such things are mistakes. Use the only comma after your name always.

Can we write Dr instead of Ph.D. after the name?

Writing a doctor instead of a Ph.D. means a different thing. So you cannot use such way. As this is not the right format. ‘Dr’ is used at the beginning of the name as another title. But after the name, it must be a Ph.D. and not ‘Dr’

Should we write a Ph.D. at all after one’s name that is too long?

Sometimes it so happens that your name is too long to write Ph.D. after it. During this trouble, you must cut out some part of the name and type PhD as a title after your name. There is no other way to do it.  Usually, longs name are common in some countries like Germany and India. But in the USA we have shorter names. Whatever may be the length, you must try to use the most used name and eliminate the rest of the name. This way you can use the title Ph.D. comfortable after your name. Always try to use the same name. Don’t change the name or cut your name in different ways on different days. These will again a problem to your recognition.

Should we write phd or ph d on business card, welcome banners during functions?

On welcome banners and business cards, it is very important to mention the title Ph.D. This will be more serious if you do not use the Ph.D. title after the name. There are many people watching that public banner. If you do not write the title after the name, you are disrespecting the guest totally. So be aware of using the title ofPh.D. whenever you have public functions or welcome banners or during some important meetings.  This is a sign that others should treat the guest better than the other out there.

Should the font size of Ph.D. be the same as someone’s name?

The name and the title Ph.D. must be in the same size. There must not be unusual differences. Font sizes matter a lot. Don’t use wrong font size or awkward fonts while using your title Ph.D. after your name. The best font could be like Ariel, Lato, Times New Roman, etc. These fonts will look better as a Ph.D. title after your name. Initially, there is some confusion about using the right font. But once you learn the size usage, you are comfortable using them rightly. Even when you write manually, you can easily write with similar size throughout. This requires a good amount of practice to write the Ph.D. title after your name with good font limitations.

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Syam Prasad Reddy T

Hello, My name is Syam, Asst. Professor of English and Mentor for Ph.D. students worldwide. I have worked years to give you these amazing tips to complete your Ph.D. successfully. Having put a lot of efforts means to make your Ph.D. journey easier. Thank you for visiting my Ph.D. blog.

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Phd, ph.d., dr..

In English, PhD can be written with or without periods; both are correct. The trend today is to drop periods with abbreviations of academic degrees. However, many sources, including the Canadian Oxford Dictionary , still recommend the use of periods: Ph.D.

When you are addressing a person with a doctoral degree, it is considered more polite to use the title Dr. or the academic abbreviation PhD with the person’s name, instead of the simple courtesy titles Mr. or Ms.

Note: Do not use both the title and the degree. If the degree is listed after the name, the title is not used before the name.

• Chris Cameron, PhD.
• Dr. Chris Cameron

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“M.D.” vs. “Ph.D.” vs. “Dr.”: Are They Synonyms?

Quick: when you hear the word doctor , what do you picture?

Most would probably describe someone in a white lab coat with a stethoscope hanging around their neck or someone in medical scrubs—someone you would seek out if you have a deep cut that needed stitches.

That word doctor , however, is a title assigned to many who don’t come close to that description, many of whom you wouldn’t want stitching up that cut. Take your English professor, for instance. No offense, Dr. Barrett. 

It can all be a bit confusing, which is why it’s important to know who and why someone might be called a doctor , as well as what all those initials and abbreviations after their name mean. Here we break it all down.

What does Dr. mean?

Let’s start with doctor or D r . for short. While the first definition of the word is “ a person licensed to practice medicine,” that doesn’t mean you want to take medical advice from anyone who calls themselves a doctor . There are many looser definitions of the word that follow and, frankly, make things a bit confusing.

For example, the third definition is older slang for a “cook, as at a camp or on a ship,” while the seventh entry is “an eminent scholar and teacher.” Bugs Bunny didn’t help matters either by plying anyone and everyone with his famous greeting,“What’s up, doc?” 

The term doctor can be traced back to the late 1200s, and it stems from a Latin word meaning “to teach.” It wasn’t used to describe a licensed medical practitioner until about 1400, and it wasn’t used as such with regularity until the late 1600s. It replaced the former word used for medical doctors— leech , which is now considered archaic. 

WATCH: When Did The Word "Doctor" Become Medical?

Physician vs. doctor : are these synonyms.

While the term physician is a synonym for doctor , it’s typically used to refer to those who practice general medicine rather than those who perform surgery, aka surgeons . 

A quack , on the other hand, is defined as “ a fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill.”

What does M.D. mean?

Moving on to initials that carry more weight than a nod from Bugs, let’s look at M.D.s .

M.D. , which can be used with or without the periods ( M.D. or MD )  is the designation for a medical doctor. This is earned by attending medical school (typically a four-year program after completing at least one undergraduate degree, plus a residency program), and learning to diagnose patients’ symptoms and offer treatment. 

The initials M and D stem from the Latin title  Medicīnae Doctor. There are many different types of doctors, with different specialties, but if you have a physical ailment, visiting a doctor with the initials M.D. is a good place to start.

Specialty doctors may add even more initials to their title, such as DCN (doctor of clinical nutrition), DDS (doctor of dental surgery), or countless others they acquire with additional training. To make things even more confusing, some may add abbreviations from medical associations they belong to, such as FAAEM (Fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine). 

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What does Ph.D. mean?

As for Ph.D. , this stands for “doctor of philosophy.” It stems from the Latin term Philosophiae Doctor.

You can get a Ph.D. in any number of subjects, from anthropology to mythological studies. It’s not an easy feat, however, as to earn one, you must do original research and write a dissertation . 

Ph.D. vs. M.D .: are these synonyms?

There are two big differences between Ph.D. s and M.D .s. When it comes to medicine, M.D.s can prescribe medications, and Ph.D.s can’t. And yes, it’s possible to be both an M.D. and a Ph.D. In fact, some med schools offer programs in which you can achieve both simultaneously. 

You can also get a professional doctorate degree in a number of fields. For example, you might receive a doctorate of education, an  Ed.D . 

So, in a nutshell, both M.D.s and Ph.Ds can be referred to as doctors . If you’re looking for someone to treat what ails you physically, then you want at least an M.D. following their name. If you want to dig deep into a subject and get advice from someone who has done their own research and who likely knows the latest and greatest developments in a particular area, then you’re probably looking for a Ph.D. And if someone has both, even better—depending on your needs, it may be just what the doctor ordered.

Want more synonyms? Get Thesaurus.com’s sizzling synonyms right in your inbox! 

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Ph.D.'s / Phds / PhD's /PhDs'

• Thread starter boggiee
• Start date Jun 22, 2015

Senior Member

• Jun 22, 2015

Hello, http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/PhD PhD British English , Ph.D. American English I cannot determine where to put an apostrophe after that word. For example: - Ph.D.'s are usually awarded annually in my country. - PhDs are usually awarded annually in my country. - PhD's are usually awardedannually in my country. - PhDs' are usually awardedannually in my country. Which one does sound more natural to native speakers? I think the first two are OK but not sure. Thanks.  

This is not a settled matter. Personally and professionally, I prefer no periods and no apostrophes: PhDs. Others will object and wish to add the apostrophe, which I personally find less attractive—much as I prefer 1930s to 1930's or IOUs to IOU's . If I had to use the periods, then I would use the apostrophe as well, though.  

AmaryllisBunny

• Jun 23, 2015

I prefer the periods without the apostrophe–i.e., Ph.D.s , however, if italics is unavailable, then the apostrophe should be used–i.e., Ph.D.'s. This is the format as stated in Garner's Modern American Usage: 3rd Edition .  

Moderato con anima (English Only)

I prefer less punctuation, so I'd write PhDs if forced to. In truth, I'd probably say that but write PhD degrees .  

natkretep said: I prefer less punctuation, so I'd write PhDs if forced to. In truth, I'd probably say that but write PhD degrees . Click to expand...

There are some things I would say, but would adjust when I write them down in a more formal fashion. I might say 'There's some MBAs among us', but when I recast it for more formal writing it might become something like 'There are some MBA holders in our company'.  

AmaryllisBunny said: Would you really say PhD degrees ? I've never heard of this before. From my experience this would just be pronounced " P-H-Ds " in a similar way people say " M-B-As " to refer to the people holding the degree. Click to expand...

I don't think it is quite in the same order as PIN number (which I do not object to either). In 'PIN number', number is already represented in the third letter of the acronym. PhD is 'doctor of philosophy' and the name of the degree and the word degree does not appear in the acronym. PhD on its own can also refer to a holder of the degree rather than the degree itself.  

I agree that it is not nearly the same, in that degree is not part of the acronym, but the order is the same – Philosiphiae doctor, hence Ph.D. This is in the same way that some colleges refer to a Bachelor of Arts, B.A., as an A.B. or Artium Baccalaureus. For most doctoral degrees, the doctor goes after the subject–e.g., M.D., Ph.D., J.D., LL.D., etc.  

But Oxford awards DPhils (or DPhil degrees): that's how I'd write it.  

bibliolept said: I prefer no periods and no apostrophes: PhDs. [...] much as I prefer 1930s to 1930's or IOUs to IOU's . Click to expand...

natkretep said: But Oxford awards DPhils (or DPhil degrees): that's how I'd write it. Click to expand...

bibliolept said: This is not a settled matter. Personally and professionally, I prefer no periods and no apostrophes: PhDs. Others will object and wish to add the apostrophe, which I personally find less attractive—much as I prefer 1930s to 1930's or IOUs to IOU's . If I had to use the periods, then I would use the apostrophe as well, though. Click to expand...

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Why there is "Dr." before name of PhD degree holder?

Is it right practice to place "Dr." before name of PhD degree holder? What is reason for placing such "Doctor" label before name?

• 22 Perhaps because the holder of a PhD is a Doctor of Ph ilosophy $-) –  LLlAMnYP Commented May 12, 2016 at 16:35
• 1 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Philosophy –  BartoszKP Commented May 12, 2016 at 16:39
• 3 As a matter of etiquette, usually Dr. is used only in the relevant professional context. In a social context, only medical doctors are called Dr. Even in a professional context, IMO people who insist on being addressed as Dr. come off as pompous. –  user1482 Commented May 12, 2016 at 20:43
• 19 @BenCrowell That is USA etiquette, but far from universal. –  Patricia Shanahan Commented May 13, 2016 at 0:19

5 Answers 5

"Doctor" is from the Latin meaning "teacher" (much like "doctrine," or much as "docent" for either similar positions overseas or the post of museum guide domestically), the premise being that those skilled in actual medicine (and not the guesswork that had prevailed for the millennia before) were now considered expert enough to guide or instruct others. It had actually been used for non-medical fields for centuries earlier. The twist, of course, is that we now use the title in a "social context" only for those in the Johnny-come-lately field of medicine, perhaps because of the obvious embarrassment that might arise when someone styling themselves "Doctor" is rushed to a trauma scene at a party and asked to save someone's life; the need to distinguish those individuals possessing such skills has trumped the prestige factor for all those in other worthy disciplines. As someone who pursued both for a time, I can say: my job is important, even critical, but it ain't lifesaving.

• 12 The limitation of the title to medical doctors in a social contexts is a matter of local custom. I was taught, as a young child, in England that when writing to my grandparents I should address the envelope to "Dr. and Mrs. E. W. Shanahan". My grandfather was a geographer, not a medical doctor. –  Patricia Shanahan Commented May 12, 2016 at 21:41
• 2 And of course, one must not forget the good Dr. and Mrs. Vandertramp.... –  thebishopofcalc Commented May 13, 2016 at 0:09
• My dad earned his PhD in history ~1959 and is quick to point out that when most people refer to doctors, they are actually talking about physicians (although, obviously, they hope are medical doctors). The terms we use to call each other change over time. –  adin Commented Jul 8, 2019 at 14:53

Yes, this is the right practice.

A PhD degree is a "Doctor of Philosophy", and the appropriate formal title for that is "Doctor". That there are other professions that can be called "Doctor", for example holders of an MD degree, is simply because there are multiple fields one could be a Doctor of.

• I should be added that they are called Doctor because they have a Doctorate. In this case philosphy and that medical doctors also have a doctorate - MD is Medical Doctorate. –  Ian Sudbery Commented Oct 22, 2018 at 10:03
• 2 @IanSudbery That's specific to the US (and I would presume, some other countries). In the UK, and many other countries, doctors "only" receive a bachelor's degree. They are still referred to as Dr (unless they're a surgeon, but that's another matter). –  MJeffryes Commented Oct 22, 2018 at 17:30

Not in Austria. In Austria, Dr. is an official part of the name of a person who has a doctorate degree (or has undergone "Nostrifikation", which means that a degree is formally certified to be equivalents of a Dr.) For the most part, "Dr." degrees have been phased out after the Bologna process.

Post-Bologna doctoral studies usually award a PhD, which, as an academic degree, is also oficially part of the name.

So roughly speaking, if you finished (more or less) the same course of studies in pre-Bologna days, you're Dr. IgotiT, whereas if you finished it in post-Bologna days, you're IgotiT, PhD.

The degrees may well be equivalent as far as their academic value is concerned, but nevertheless, you cannot use them interchangably.

Carrying an academic degree that you're not legally entitled to is punishable by up to one year of jail, although I find it unlikely that anyone is actually going to convict you for using "Dr", when in fact you're a "PhD". Don't count on it though, I am not a lawyer.

The term, "Doctor", has been used to describe accomplished scholars as early as the 1300s. It's derived from the latin verb, "docere", which means, to teach. Historically I think that's the inevitable conclusion of any sort of learning journey--the drive to share that accumulated knowledge with others. The title of Doctor is a means to socially honor those that have dedicated years to learning. The point is to recognize them as subject matter experts, regardless of what they choose to do with that attained knowledge.

In recent centuries, we developed a convention to call physicians "Doctors". They may or may not treat patients. They may or may not hold a PhD. They may or may not teach. None of that is the point. The point is to demonstrate that a physician is learned enough to be trusted and respected in their field of study--medicine. This is uniquely important considering that lives are on the line, but the reasoning is the same as those with a Doctorate degree. I suppose they wanted to make it very clear to the public that medical doctors are experts, even though many don't hold a mainstream post-graduate degree. Other, non-medical disciplines may be incredibly complex in their own right, but they don't require the same level of public faith.

So, in a way, medical providers being called Doctors is a deceptively clever marketing device used to safeguard the health of countless millions of lives.

...and regardless of the formalities and technicalities of any country's academic taxonomy, it just boils down to the title's original purpose, to honor learning.

Only Ph.D’s must be refered as to Doctors because they hold doctoral degrees and they “teach”. The word Doctor means “teacher or I teach”. Physicians should be only called “Physicians” because they hold only Bachelors degrees in medicine. In the USA, they took the Bachelors in medicine and surgery program and divided into two programs only to be addressed as to doctors. Physicians are only treating people not teaching people.

• In my country medical students get a doctorate, but it is quite widely known that a medical doctor is "less worth" than a "real PhD" from a multiple-year research program. –  Oleg Lobachev Commented Oct 22, 2018 at 11:56
• 8 I have a doctoral degree but I don't teach. Your argument is invalid. –  user68958 Commented Oct 22, 2018 at 12:04

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abbreviation or noun

Definition of phd, examples of phd in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'PhD.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

New Latin philosophiae doctor

1839, in the meaning defined above

Dictionary Entries Near PhD

Cite this entry.

“PhD.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/PhD. Accessed 31 Aug. 2024.

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Periods (Full Stops) in Titles like Mr. and Mrs.

The Quick Answer

• Mrs., Mr., Ms., Dr., Prof., Capt., Gen., Sen., Rev., Hon., St.

Periods in Titles

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Do you use a period with "miss", do you use a period with "ms".

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Which is correct Dr. or Dr? [duplicate]

Recently, I was reading articles on the net and realised that there is a lot of ambiguity over the usage of Dr. and Dr , Er. and Er etc.

I usually prefer the dot while writing Doctor (Dr.) or Engineer (Er.) in front of someone's name.

Is it correct if we put a dot after these titles/abbreviations or not?

• punctuation
• orthography
• abbreviations

• related: Does the abbreviation for Saint in a church name require a period? and Abbreviation of “Street” –  Mari-Lou A Commented Feb 22, 2017 at 8:53
• 'I usually prefer the dot while writing Doctor (Dr.) ...' It's interesting that you sometimes don't. –  Edwin Ashworth Commented Feb 22, 2017 at 9:12
• Answered at usage of i.e in a sentence . –  Edwin Ashworth Commented Feb 22, 2017 at 9:12

2 Answers 2

The Oxford Learners' Dictionary says :

Mr abbreviation (British English) (also Mr. North American English, British English)

While the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of American English just states :

Mr. abbreviation

and has no entry for Mr without the period.

So I believe that both Mr and Mr. are acceptable in British English (even though Mr without period is preferred), while Mr. with period is mandatory in American English.

As an Italian, I prefer Mr without the period, because in school we were taught that the period following an abbreviation stood for "following letters omitted", but the r in Mr and in Dr is the last letter of Mister and Doctor, so no letter following "r" is omitted. I think that the British usage tends to conform to this "European" (Latin?) rule.

• 5 The rule that Henry Fowler suggests in his Modern English Usage (if memory serves; I don't have the book in front of me) is to use a period if and only if the abbreviation does not include the last letter of the full word - thus "Mr" (for MisteR) lacks a period, but "Prof." (for PROFessor) takes a period. American usage is to use periods for everything, though. –  Connor Harris Commented Feb 23, 2017 at 14:17
• Whether to use stops in or after abbreviations is a matter purely of style; not any real rules. –  Robbie Goodwin Commented Mar 7, 2017 at 3:33

Both forms are acceptable. In modern British English, usually abbreviations are written without full stop marks. Full stops (US, 'periods') are normal in American English.

Dr (US, Dr.), Ltd (US, Ltd.), Kg (US, Kg.), Mr (US, Mr.), etc.

( From Micael Swan's PEU Chapter Abbreviations ).

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged punctuation orthography abbreviations or ask your own question .

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PhD or not to PhD

I’m really on the fence. The DS market was oversaturated before the layoffs but now it’s even worse. I’ve been working at a FAANG for about a year and been testing the waters because I’m doing more Data Analytics than DS in my current role. I’ve been turned down for everything. I’m generally qualified for most roles I applied for through yoe and skills and even had extremely niche experience for others yet I can’t get past an initial screening.

So I’ve been considering going back to school for a PhD. I’ve got about 10 years aggregate experience in analytics and Data Science and an MS and I’m concerned that I’m too old to start this at 36.

I digress but do you have thoughts on continuing education in a slower market? Should I try riding it out for now? Is going back to school to get that PhD worth it or is it a waste of time just to be on the struggle bus again for 3 or more years?

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Dundee student jailed for pushing railway worker onto tracks

Cheyenne Naeb, a PHD philosophy student, was enraged after a dispatcher allowed a train to leave which he wished to board.

A Dundee University student who pushed a railway worker on to tracks after he missed his train has been jailed for 20 months.

Cheyenne Naeb, 26, lashed out at Brittany Mansfield, 28, at Glasgow’s Queen Street station on February 1 last year.

Naeb, a PHD philosophy student , was enraged after dispatcher Miss Mansfield allowed a train to leave which he wished to board at 9.11am.

He pointed his finger at Miss Mansfield and launched into a verbal tirade against her.

Naeb then pushed her on to the tracks shortly before a train on the line was set to depart.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard how Naeb’s father had “travelled from America to see his son imprisoned rather than be at his graduation.”

Speaking outside court, Miss Mansfield said she had hoped for a longer sentence. “I could have died,” she said.

‘A gross overreaction’

The American national walked off showing “no concern” for injured Miss Mansfield before he was stopped by police.

Naeb, who planned to become a professor if he graduated this year, now faces career ruin after he pled guilty to assaulting Miss Mansfield to her injury and danger of life.

He also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

Sheriff John McCormick said: “This was a gross overreaction to missing a train.

“The potential consequences could have been catastrophic.

“I have read the victim impact statement regarding the ongoing physical and mental injuries.

“Taking everything into account, there is no appropriate alternative to a custodial sentence.”

Pointed finger and shouted

The court heard that Miss Mansfield had dispatched a train on platform seven which pulled away when Naeb walked towards her.

Miss Mansfield told him that the train had gone and he shouted: “Don’t you come near me, you made me miss my train.

“Don’t look at me you scumbag c***.”

Miss Mansfield turned to face Naeb who pointed his finger at her while being aggressive.

As a result of his behaviour, she told Naeb that he was no longer allowed to travel.

Prosecutor Ross Canning said: “Naeb lunged forward and pushed Miss Mansfield with both hands to her chest with such force that she came off the end of the platform.

“She landed in between the running lines of platform seven in front of a train that was preparing to leave the station.

“Miss Mansfield was able to grab hold of Naeb’s sleeve which somewhat broke her fall.”

Showed ‘no concern’ after push

The hearing was told that Naeb walked away from Miss Mansfield showing “no concern” for her.

She requested assistance on her work radio as she pulled herself up from the 915-millimeter drop despite injuring her hip in the fall.

It was also noted that she had cuts to her hand, scrapes to her legs and a swollen elbow when she later attended hospital.

Naeb went on to try and bypass the police who were made aware of the situation but he was stopped.

Miss Mansfield as well as Naeb’s father – who flew from the USA – were in attendance at the sentencing.

Paul Sweeney, defending, said: “He asks me to offer his apologies to her and he fully accepts his behaviour on that day was wrong.

“He knows the physical and mental anguish he caused to her and he is sorry for that.

“It was hoped that he would embark on further academia by becoming a professor but this will be difficult.

“His father travelled from America to see his son imprisoned rather than be at his graduation.”

Victim’s reaction

Miss Mansfield said outside court: “As a victim, I think the sentence should have been longer. I could have died.

“It is not as if he pushed me off a kerb. It was quite a drop.”

The mum said she was off work for around nine months after the attack.

She added: “I still have to stand on the platforms where it happened. It is never ending.”

When asked if she had any ill feelings towards Naeb, Miss Mansfield replied: “No, I do not necessarily forgive him but I do not want to be bitter.

“If I was to carry on hatred and things like that, I think I would go on a downward spiral.

“I have children and I want to make sure that I am in the best frame of mind.”

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Clubber who 'could have killed' victim in head-kicking Perth attack is jailed

Friday court round-up — Axe, guns and a gas canister

Dundee MP tells trial he was threatened outside Lochee constituency office

Stirling pervert took picnic and knife to playpark to meet 'Fife schoolgirl'

Covid-phobic Perth man on curfew after spitting on police officer's head

Dangerous driver fled on foot after high speed chase through Dundee and Perthshire

Dundee rapist faces lengthy prison term and life on sex offenders register

Thursday court round-up — Court punch and false claim

Maximum unpaid work for Dundee man for child cruelty

Stirling sheriff 'lost count' of head kicks during life-endangering assault