These guidelines, established by the UTIA Office of Marketing and Communications, help clearly and consistently communicate expertise in a field. Our goal is to be courteous and appropriate while creating a framework that flexes to facilitate clear and consistent communication to our many audiences—the public, our clientele, our alumni and friends, our students, and the media. This document may evolve as the style guides we follow are updated.
Guidelines for Formal Written Communications Published by the UTIA Office of Marketing and Communications
These guidelines apply to the Institute’s more formal written communications, typically carried out by this office, including:
- UT Extension publications
- Land, Life and Science magazine
- Common Ground
- Cultivate magazine
- Other materials as appropriate.*
These guidelines do not apply to the many communications of a more narrow focus and audience that occur in the course of Institute life—departmental newsletters, on-campus posters, etc.
For academic professors, use the academic title and area of expertise: professor of law John Smith; Jane Doe, professor of plant sciences; Jane Doe, professor in the Department of Plant Sciences. For staff members, use an appropriate, descriptive job title. Dr. should not precede someone’s name, whether the subject is a medical doctor, academic professor, or staff member holding a terminal degree. We recommend referring to a medical doctor by medical profession, and if applicable, academic title, or both (physician John Doe; Jane Smith, associate professor and veterinarian) and, if necessary, a medical doctor’s practicing degree may be used in running text, but this is discouraged: John Doe, MD.
Generally, list degree initializations with no spaces (BA, MS, MBA, PhD). Following a name with an academic degree in running text is discouraged unless it provides clarity to the reader. It is acceptable to list an academic professor’s highest earned degree after his or her name in display text in formal academic contexts, such as invitations and awards programs.
Guidelines for Other Communications
These guidelines apply to the many written communications of a more narrow focus and audience that occur in the course of Institute life—departmental newsletters, on-campus posters, etc.
While the use of academic titles is encouraged as they provide context to areas of expertise, in those cases where Dr. is used, the following best practices are recommended:
- In running text, use Dr. on first reference only.
- Take care to avoid using initializations in addition to Dr. For example: Dr. Joe Smith, PhD is redundant.
- When using Dr., ensure that the area of expertise is clear to the reader, especially when multiple specialties are involved. For example: Dr. Jane Smith and Dr. John Doe began the study this summer. Smith, a veterinary oncologist, and Doe, a biologist, hope to complete the study by next fall.
It is acceptable to capitalize a professional title before an academic professor’s name in formal contexts, such as invitations and award programs (Dr. Joe Johnson and Interim Senior Vice President and Senior Vice Chancellor Linda C. Martin cordially invite you to an evening in the UT Gardens). In conversation and personal communication, many of us routinely use Dr. and professor as titles.
*News releases: News releases produced by the UTIA Office of Marketing and Communications adhere to Associated Press Style. While the use of academic titles to showcase professional areas of expertise is preferred, care will be taken to ensure faculty titles of varying specialties are clearly and equally represented. In addition, initializations in news releases typically contain periods.
