ph.d. czy phd

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

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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.”

Therefore, “Philosophiae Doctor” translates in literal terms to “love of wisdom by a learned person.” This can span a host of arts and sciences including medicine as well as biology, history, literature, sociology, politics, and many more.

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

Marybeth Alistair, Ph.D., DDS

Professor Cynthia Kline, PhD

Michael Derringer, Ph.D., MD

You may notice additional acronyms after the use of Ph.D. This is the more common way to use it when you’re listing someone’s name and credentials. It’s frequent to see this in places like convention programs, office boards, or in newspapers. The DDS is Doctor of Dental Surgery and MD is Doctor of Medicine.

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

Both PhD and Ph.D are correct when referring to the title of a doctor. These are almost always for writing purposes. You would never call a doctor PhD. It’s similar to how you would use Mr., Mrs., or Ms. before someone’s name.

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Czy powinienem napisać “ PhD ” czy “ Ph.D. ”?

Pytanie dość oczywiste. Czy skrót łacińskiego terminu filozofiae doctor powinien być zapisany jako PhD (bez kropek) czy Ph.D. (z kropkami)?

• Poniżej masz kilka poprawnych odpowiedzi. Osobiście unikam kropek w skrótach, więc użyłbym doktoratu, tak jak powiedziałbym Waszyngton DC, używając skrótu kodu pocztowego DC, a nie historycznego skrótu DC (Dystrykt Kolumbii).

Właściwie oba są poprawne, mogłem z łatwością znaleźć oba na moim NOAD, a w sieci jest mnóstwo stron, na których można znaleźć napis „ PhD ”.

OALD podaje interesujące rozróżnienie, stwierdzając, że Ph.D . to przede wszystkim północnoamerykański angielski.

Teraz, jako obcokrajowiec, mogę polegać tylko na oficjalnych źródłach, aby stwierdzić kto używa what , ale nie ma wątpliwości, że używane są oba warianty.

Na koniec, myślę, że naprawdę nie ma sensu rozróżniać ich jako „ Doktor filozofii ” lub „ Doktor filozofii ”, ponieważ jest to to samo dokładne wyrażenie, chociaż biorąc pod uwagę skrót, pierwsza z nich jest poprawną i oryginalną długą wersją, druga to tylko angielskie tłumaczenie.

• Słownik Collins English Dictionary wyświetla oddzielny skrót, jeśli chcesz określić stopień w języku angielskim: " DPhil ". (Również pod adresem Dictionary.reference.com/browse/phd , nieco dalej w dół strony.)
• @MT_Head: Dziękujemy za komentarz. Gdy " chcesz określić stopień w języku angielskim ", oznacza to, że " jest jednoznaczny "?
• Rzeczywiście. Podajmy anegdotyczny przykład: w firmie, w której pracowałem, a która była brytyjska, ludzie nie ' nie używali kropek jako skrótów stopni, np. MSc , PhD . Obecnie pracuję dla amerykańskiej firmy, gdzie konwencja ma ich używać, stąd Ph.D.
• Rozumiem, myślałem o tym wcześniej, szczerze mówiąc, odkąd doktor (lub PHD) może być też czymś innym … Dziękuję za zwrócenie uwagi!
• @MT_Head DPhil to także tytuł doktora w Oksfordzie. Jeśli używasz DPhil, mówca BE założyłby, że masz na myśli Oksford.

Doktor i Ph. RE. są poprawne. Kanadyjczycy zwykle pomijają kropki, a mieszkańcy USA je zachowują.

• Może masz jakieś cytaty ze źródeł lub dodatkowe odniesienia ? Myślę, że twoja odpowiedź jest poprawna, ale trochę więcej szczegółów, czy ' w rzeczywistości nie potrzebuje być linkiem, byłoby pomocne.

Zwykle używam zarówno terminu „PhD”, jak i „Ph.D”. DPhil jest przyznawany na Oxford Uni i Sussex Uni w Anglii. Wszyscy inni przyznają doktoraty według mojej wiedzy.

Wkurza mnie, gdy ludzie używają litery „Dr” przed swoim nazwiskiem, a następnie określają nagrodę. Uważam, że powinno to być jedno lub drugie.

• Zgadzam się, że doktor jest używany z częścią doktorancką.
• " Och, ' zamierzam wyciągnąć trochę gotówki z tego bankomatu. "

Pamiętam, jak dawno temu rozmawiałem o tym z wyszkoloną sekretarką. Ostatecznie zdecydowaliśmy, że użycie wielbłąda (rozpoczynając każde skrócone słowo wielką literą) eliminuje potrzebę stosowania okresów przy skracaniu tytułów. Jednak gdy skrót jest stosunkowo nowy lub używany w nietypowym kontekście, okresy pomagają uniknąć niejednoznaczności.

Na mój własny użytek nadrzędnym kryterium jest „styl domu”. Ważniejsze jest, aby dokument był wewnętrznie spójny, aby uniknąć nieporozumień.

• Bobble ' s " styl domu " uwzględnienie zazwyczaj dotyczy nie tylko pojedynczego dokumentu, ale także, jak sama nazwa wskazuje, wszystkich dokumentów z tego samego " domu ". Na przykład moja dyscyplina akademicka (językoznawstwo) tradycyjnie stosuje konwencję bez okresów dla wszystkich tytułów (nie tylko doktora, magistra i licencjata, ale także pana, doktora i profesora), podczas gdy egzekutor stylu w mojej instytucji akademickiej (uniwersytecie amerykańskim ) nalega, abym pokropił okresy (w sumie 9 w moich 6 przykładach).

Najczęściej spotykane to:

Rzadko kiedy natknąłem się na doktorat. (z dwiema kropkami).

• Fuj. Doktorat wygląda na niespójny najgorszy ze wszystkich światów.

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PhD vs Ph.D. — The Correct Abbr. for “Philosophiae Doctor”

By: Author Marcel Iseli

Posted on Last updated: September 18, 2022

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Remembering abbreviations is naturally difficult especially when the expressions involved are particularly used within specific language communities.

But, in fact, there are a lot of abbreviations out there that you must already be familiar with, just like some internet slang terms such as “TBH,” “SMH,” and “TGIF.”

While this is the case, many other abbreviated expressions that are mainly used in formal contexts remain elusive, just like the abbreviation for “Philosophiae Doctor.”

The question of whether we should use “PhD” or “Ph.D.” is causing some confusion among cybercitizens at present, which is why we are addressing it in our post today.

Let’s start with a short answer to our inquiry.

What is the correct abbreviation for “Philosophiae Doctor”?

In American English, the standard practice is to use “Ph.D.” – the one with the periods; whereas “PhD” – the one without the periods – is mainly used in British English.

The meaning of “Philosophiae Doctor” in a nutshell

The term “Philosophiae Doctor,” otherwise known as “Doctor Philosophiae,” is the Latin equivalent of “Doctor of Philosophy.”

This is a title given to a person who has gained the highest degree or qualification in the academic world.

More importantly, having this achievement entails completing a doctorate program under a specific field in an accredited institution rather than an unaccredited one.

Undoubtedly, you would not want to gain your doctorate degree in so-called “diploma mills” because that would automatically undermine your educational integrity. 

Diploma mills are organizations that are unable to keep up with the best educational practices in a certain country; they may also offer illicit educational programs and degrees for a fee.

Before enrolling in a doctorate program, it is best to check whether the target school is accredited or quality-checked by official agencies.

In the USA, for example, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) is the one responsible for university accreditations.

In the UK, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is responsible for the same role, albeit implementing a relatively different system.

Furthermore, those who are still taking up their doctorate programs are not necessarily referred to as doctors of philosophy just yet; instead, they are still considered candidates for the title.

The length of time and requirements needed to complete a doctorate degree may vary from one institution to another, as well as from one student to another.

So, it is always recommended to scrutinize these nuances beforehand, or else, one might end up in a compromising situation.

Now that we have discussed what it means to become a “Philosophiae Doctor,” let us now move on to the abbreviation part of today’s topic .

The next section elaborates on the abbreviation practices between American and British English language users.

Abbreviating “Philosophiae Doctor”: American vs. British English

One of the hardest-to-learn word-formation processes is word reduction, let alone remembering the symbols by heart and putting them into writing.

In morphology, a major branch of linguistics, the process of reducing words and phrases to conform to certain contexts is what we refer to as “abbreviation.”

The English abbreviation system is made up of several types, namely, acronym, shortening, initialism, and contraction.

One factor that makes abbreviations quite challenging is the difference in the practices between and among certain linguistic communities.

For example, the most common abbreviations in job advertisements include “WFH,” “Mktg.,” and “biz dev”; meanwhile, the popular ones in medicine are “a.c.,” “BKA,” and “GvHD.”

If these terms are not your cup of tea, then it is natural to get them mixed up if and when you encounter these abbreviations for the first time or when you don’t use them that often.

In other larger contexts, there are also some nuances as to how people use entirely the same language in two different geographical locations.

But, in reality, there are too many existing language communities that make use of English either as a native or a second language.

Hence, the next section only focuses on the difference between American and British practices regarding the topic being discussed.

“Ph.D.” is the American way

By and large, we have to steer clear of abbreviations if and when using them would cause communication issues.

That said, we must not use abbreviations on a resume j ust to save space, out of negligence, and even communicative convenience, for instance.

Whether or not periods appear in an abbreviation is also a noticeable grammatical nuance between American and British English.

American English users, as well as followers, are keen on using periods in abbreviated expressions, especially academic titles like “Ph.D.”

For example, the Chicago Manual of Style and the Canadian Oxford Dictionary both recommend using periods after “h” and “D,” thereby making “Ph.D.” the preferred version by most American English users.

Context is vital every time we have to use a language notwithstanding whether it is in spoken or written form because of the assumption that language is inherently ambiguous. 

This means that you would have to determine your target audience first before making the decision as to whether you have to insert or drop the periods.

If your written output is intended for language users adhering to American English, then it would be wise to place periods in “Ph.D.” to receive a favorable response.

But of course, this doesn’t mean that American English users will misunderstand your message if you omit your periods because the letters are utterly more meaningful than the punctuation marks in this context.

“PhD” is the British way

Generally speaking, the periods in “Ph.D.” are omitted among most English language users, which means that the problem as to whether to place the periods is chiefly trivial.

However, the practice of period omission in abbreviations is also something you would likely notice more in British English instead of American English.

In favor of the open-punctuation system, the periods in the abbreviated form of “Philosophiae Doctor” are omitted by British English users, thereby forming “PhD” instead. 

The trend nowadays is also moving towards the omission of periods, which means that punctuation marks are becoming less likely relevant in communication.

This can be attributed to the idea that the technological advancements in the modern world are happening at a break-neck pace and are unlikely to cease anytime soon.

This means that more and more communication modes are becoming available to us, thereby not limiting conversations to text and speech exchanges only.

The other existing communication modes include spatial, gestural, and visual ones — and these are indubitably more attractive than scripts and prints.

Capitalization rules on the abbreviation of “Philosophiae Doctor”

Remembering the complete form of certain abbreviations is already mentally tasking, which means that capitalization rules apparently add insult to the injury.

Therefore, the subsections below aim to address this concern in detail.

Capitalization within the abbreviation “PhD” or “Ph.D.”

As you may already figure, both “D” and “P” are capitalized but “h” is written in lowercase both in “PhD” and “Ph.D.”

This is because “P” and “h” are both parts of the word “Philosophiae” or “Philosophy,” while “D” is a separate initial standing for “Doctor.”

In referring to a person with a doctorate degree, the general format is to start with the complete name (i.e., first then last name) followed by the academic title which can either be “PhD” or “Ph.D.”

Depending on the communicative intent, the specific field that the person has graduated from may or may not be included when writing.

Commas generally come after abbreviations especially between names and academic titles no matter whether they are written as isolated entities or made part of sentences.

Here is an example of using academic titles as individual entities:

  Do not precede the name with a name title if you are going to state the academic title after the name of the person to avoid redundancy.

  Note that a comma must also come after the academic title if it appears either at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.

Here’s a sentence using a person’s name with a doctorate title:

Capitalizing “PhD” or “Ph.D.” within sentences

Name titles or honorifics are capitalized by default when they precede the name of the person and are not used as a descriptive element in a sentence, such as in “Mr. Doe.”

The purpose of capitalization in name titles is to convey tact and respect toward the addressee, which is the standard practice in business and academic writing contexts.

In the case of academic titles, the general rule is to always capitalize them wherever they appear in a sentence.

Decidedly enough, obtaining a master’s degree is already not an easy task because it requires a lot of time and effort to get done, let alone completing a doctorate degree.

But more importantly, another purpose of the mentioned capitalization is to remove the ambiguities a reader might encounter upon reading abbreviations used within sentences.

Hence, the capitalization of name titles, as well as other known abbreviations, makes sentences more readable or intelligible.

Here are example sentences using “PhD” or “Ph.D.” only:

  When in doubt, you can always use “PhD” as a default choice because it is the more common choice between the two.

But, there is also a need to remember that there is nothing wrong with using the periods in abbreviating the phrase “Philosophiae Doctor.”.

Apart from capitalization, pluralization rules on abbreviations also seem to be a tricky concern for some; hence, the last section below focuses on shedding light on this.

Pluralizing “PhD” or “Ph.D.”: PhDs vs. Ph.D.’s

Punctuation marks are generally avoided in British English, while punctuation marks are mainly preferred in American English.

That said, we can already assume that the use of “PhDs” is mainly a British practice, whereas the use of “Ph.D.’s” is substantially American.

Apostrophes are mainly used for contractions in British English, but these marks are used for both pluralization and contraction in American English.

Here are examples of using the plural form of “PhD” or “Ph.D.” in sentences:

  But then again, it is worthy to note that either option would not necessarily cause misinterpretation to any target readers, hence a minor concern.

The only time that you may need to check for writing style guidelines is when you are submitting your output to authorities like publishing companies and institutional bodies.

In general, though, you can always go with either “PhDs” or “Ph.D.’s” in writing, but the more popular choice is, again, the one without the punctuation marks.

However, if you want to increase the formality of the message you are conveying, then you can go with the one that contains more punctuation marks.

Abbreviations, albeit tricky, are important elements that make communication faster and easier for groups of people that speak the same language.

But, we should also bear in mind (not “bare in mind”) that excessive and random use of abbreviations could meanwhile cause misinterpretation to outsiders.

Therefore, to make the most out of abbreviations, they have to be aimed at moderate and context-appropriate usage.

Frequently Asked Questions on “PhD vs. Ph.D.”

What do we mean by “dphil”.

“DPhil” means “Doctor of Philosophy.” This abbreviation also serves a similar purpose as “PhD” or “Ph.D.”. These abbreviations are used to represent the highest academic title a person can achieve in an institution.

Are “PhD” and “DPhil” the same?

“PhD” and “DPhil” mean the same, although the former would lean more toward the complete Latin form which is “Philosophiae Doctor” and the latter being “Doctor of Philosophy,” if we are to look into the letter sequence. In general, “PhD” or “Ph.D.” is more widely used than “DPhil.”

Should there be a period after “r” in the abbreviation for “Doctor” and “Drive”?

In British English, no period comes after abbreviations of contracted words like “doctor” and “drive.” The opposite is true in American English, which means that the general practice is to use “Dr.” instead of “Dr” in writing. 

Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.

“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.

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PhD, Ph.D., Dr.

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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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Jak poprawnie używać tytułów Dr. & PhD z nazwiskiem

Gdy ktoś uzyskał tytuł Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), w mowie formalnej jest określany jako "doktor"; to samo dotyczy osoby, która jest lekarzem, psychologiem, dentystą lub weterynarzem. W mowie formalnej osoba ta powinna być określana jako "doktor". Jednak w formie pisemnej zasady są inne, gdy zwracamy się do kogoś, kogo w mowie formalnej nazywamy "doktorem". W mowie pisanej tytuły "Dr." i "PhD" nie są wymienne.

• Gdy ktoś uzyskał stopień doktora filozofii (PhD), jest następnie określany jako "doktor" w mowie formalnej; to samo dotyczy osoby, która jest lekarzem medycyny, psychologiem, dentystą lub weterynarzem.

Zidentyfikuj rodzaj lekarza, do którego się zwracasz. Lekarze medycyny i psychologii, lekarze stomatologii i lekarze weterynarii muszą być adresowane inaczej w porównaniu do lekarzy akademickich, którzy zdobyli tytuł doktora filozofii. Należy pamiętać, że istnieją różne rodzaje stopni doktorskich. Doktor filozofii jest tylko jednym z rodzajów stopni doktorskich. Istnieje również, na przykład, Doktor Edukacji (EdD) stopień doktora i Doktor Psychologii (PsyD) stopień doktora. Tytuły związane z poszczególnymi stopniami doktorskimi nie są wymienne. Tylko do osoby, która uzyskała stopień doktora filozofii, należy zwracać się per PhD.

Tytuł "Dr." należy umieszczać przed nazwiskiem osoby, która jest doktorem medycyny lub psychologii, doktorem stomatologii lub doktorem weterynarii. Na przykład: Dr. George Ross. Słowo "doktor" zawsze piszemy w jego skróconej formie ("Dr."), gdy występuje ono przed nazwiskiem osoby. Nigdy nie pisz, na przykład, Doktor George Ross. Nie należy łączyć tytułu "Dr." z żadnym innym tytułem, nawet jeśli dana osoba mogłaby być właściwie nazywana innym tytułem. Nigdy nie pisz na przykład: "Dr. George Ross, PhD", nawet jeśli dana osoba jest lekarzem medycyny, który uzyskał również stopień doktora filozofii. Wybierz jeden tytuł. Nie należy używać tytułu "Dr." w odniesieniu do kogoś, kto jest wyłącznie doktorem akademickim.

• Umieść tytuł "Dr." przed nazwiskiem osoby, która jest doktorem medycyny lub psychologii, doktorem stomatologii lub doktorem weterynarii.
• Nigdy nie pisz, na przykład, "Dr. George Ross, PhD", nawet jeśli dana osoba jest lekarzem medycyny, który uzyskał również stopień doktora filozofii.

Postaw przecinek, a następnie tytuł "PhD" po nazwisku osoby, która uzyskała stopień doktora filozofii. Na przykład: Stacey Childs, PhD. Nie należy łączyć tytułu "PhD" z żadnym innym tytułem, nawet jeśli dana osoba mogłaby być właściwie określona innym tytułem. Na przykład, nawet jeśli osoba, do której się zwracamy, jest doktorem medycyny, który uzyskał również tytuł doktora, nigdy nie pisz na przykład: Dr. Stacey Childs, PhD. Wybierz jeden tytuł. Nie należy używać tytułu "PhD" w odniesieniu do kogoś, kto nie uzyskał stopnia doktora filozofii.

By Lion Godinez

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