Forms of address

Courtesy titles

For professional and academic titles, do not use Prof., Dr., Mr., Mrs. or Ms. to preface a name. Use the first name and last name in first reference and the last name in subsequent references.

Example: 

I met John Anderson, professor of criminology, for the first time last month. Anderson is an expert in crime scene analysis.

Do not use “Dr.” when referring to professors, as not all professors hold PhDs. “Dr.” should only refer to a health professional such as a physician or dentist.

Capitalize endowed professorships and fellowships, even when the title comes after a name. If it follows the name, it is preceded by a "the" or "SFU’s" to avoid confusion.

Use the first and last name to differentiate between two people with the same last name such as married couples and siblings. If someone’s gender is not clear on first reference, use his or her (he or she) in later references to indicate gender.