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How to address uni lecturers on email and in real life?

Do you call them by their first name or last name on email and in real life do you call them professor, sir/miss or their first name?

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Dr ...

Prof ...

Hopefully you don't get the awkward Mr/Mrs/MS non-PhD/non-profs.

Some will tell you to call them by their first name.
Original post by Anonymous
Do you call them by their first name or last name on email and in real life do you call them professor, sir/miss or their first name?


You do as you would be done by and address any stranger respectfully, and erring on the side of formality initially. We're British, thank god. It would be inappropriate to address your lecturer as 'Dave', unless you've been specifically invited to do so. You would address him, both in writing and orally, as Professor So-and-So, Dr So-and-So etc (find out their correct title from lecture notes, the website etc) until you are invited to do otherwise.

Most academics in HE are quite relaxed about stuff like this nowadays, and the overwhelming majority will invite you to address them by their first names. But it is impudent and impolite to assume that is the case.
(edited 5 years ago)
Judge each lecturer when you meet them etc. Like where I did my A Levels teachers were meant to allow us to call them by their first names, and most did, but we had one teacher who insisted on Sir.

At university my first contact with almost all - via email - would be sir/miss/prof. Then depending on how they replied to their email I would decide. Like some I kept as prof/sir/miss. But most very quickly it was first name basis. However, there is one prof of mine who I still call prof - even though he's not a prof but a dr. lol. But that is more in fun. One lecturer, our undergraduate dean, I was advised to call him Dr. haha. So yes, it really does depend on the situation.
Reply 4
if they email you first, you follow the way they sign off (for instance, they call themselves Holly, then write back 'Dear Holly'. if they call themselves 'Professor Somenuts', write back 'Dear Professor Somenuts'.

if you email them first, then assume their professional name until they address themselves differently. jmo
Just their first name all the time.
Original post by DrawTheLine
Just their first name all the time.


Where's the respect, man?
Original post by Reality Check
You do as you would be done by and address any stranger respectfully, and erring on the side of formality initially. We're British, thank god. It would be inappropriate to address your lecturer as 'Dave', unless you've been specifically invited to do so. You would address him, both in writing and orally, as Professor So-and-So, Dr So-and-So etc (find out their correct title from lecture notes, the website etc) until you are invited to do otherwise.

Most academics in HE are quite relaxed about stuff like this nowadays, and the overwhelming majority will invite you to address them by their first names. But it is impudent and impolite to assume that is the case.


Agreed.

Always better to over-formalise than under-. No one is going to be gravely offended that you called them Dr, but someone might be gravely offended if you call them Terry.
Original post by Notoriety
Where's the respect, man?


I lost it a while back.
Original post by DrawTheLine
Just their first name all the time.


No. Unless you want to be seen as disrespectful, impudent and childish.
Original post by Reality Check
No. Unless you want to be seen as disrespectful, impudent and childish.


It might be different depending on university. At mine our lecturers tell us to call them by their first name.
Original post by Joleee
if they email you first, you follow the way they sign off (for instance, they call themselves Holly, then write back 'Dear Holly'. if they call themselves 'Professor Somenuts', write back 'Dear Professor Somenuts'.

if you email them first, then assume their professional name until they address themselves differently. jmo


Professor Somenuts? OMG that's priceless😂😂😂
Original post by DrawTheLine
It might be different depending on university. At mine our lecturers tell us to call them by their first name.


That's the point - they told you that was OK. But you wouldn't assume that beforehand, and the OP is asking what to call them without having this knowledge.
Original post by Anonymous
Do you call them by their first name or last name on email and in real life do you call them professor, sir/miss or their first name?
Usually they're pretty informal and are OK with first names. However, if you're unsure, ask them or another member of staff what the correct protocol is.
Reply 14
refer to them as boss.
Original post by Reality Check
You do as you would be done by and address any stranger respectfully, and erring on the side of formality initially. We're British, thank god. It would be inappropriate to address your lecturer as 'Dave', unless you've been specifically invited to do so. You would address him, both in writing and orally, as Professor So-and-So, Dr So-and-So etc (find out their correct title from lecture notes, the website etc) until you are invited to do otherwise.

Most academics in HE are quite relaxed about stuff like this nowadays, and the overwhelming majority will invite you to address them by their first names. But it is impudent and impolite to assume that is the case.


Whoops. I called them Ms./Mr in the first email and then their first name after they replied as they ended their email with their first name. Hope they don’t think Im rude :/
Original post by Anonymous
Whoops. I called them Ms./Mr in the first email and then their first name after they replied as they ended their email with their first name. Hope they don’t think Im rude :/


No harm done, I'm sure :smile: At least you didn't use their first name from the get go. But maybe something to bear in mind for future.
Wow, thinking way too much about this.

Hi,

(say whatever you need)

(just your first name)
But are you a real Dr or a courtesy Dr? In other words, are you Dr Dr?
Title and surname unless told otherwise. Even then I stick to formal as possible in emails.

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