Abbreviations and contractions
An abbreviation omits letters from the end of a word and a contraction omits letters from the middle of a word. In general, the letters in abbreviations and contractions should not be separated by full stops or spaces. When abbreviating the names of degrees awarded, only the first letter should be capitalised.
Degree titles: BSc, MSc, PhD, DipHE, MBBS, BA, FdSc
Initials in personal names
For names, where possible use the full name. If this is not feasible (for example, if an individual prefers to use his or her initials only), a person’s initials should be followed by a full stop. If there is more than one initial, there should be no spaces between the full stop and the next letter.
For example:
Post nominals
Postnominals should be used the first time someone is referred to. Other postnominals should be included only on a discretionary basis, and/or if requested by the individual.
The list below reflects the order in which postnominals should appear. Each postnominal should be separated by a space, without a comma.
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Civil honours (for example, Knight, Dame, CBE, OBE, MBE)
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Military honours (for example, VC, GC, GBE(Mil))
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Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS)
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Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)
Pronouns
The pronouns we use indicate how we identify, they are part of who we are. Therefore, it is essential that we respect and understand one another’s pronouns. This is part of building an inclusive environment across St George’s.
Ask people for their pronouns if possible. It’s important to remember that you should not assume people’s pronouns based on their gender expression. Furthermore, it is not appropriate to only ask those who you might assume to use gender-neutral pronouns as this can be offensive or create an uncomfortable environment for the individual.
Some individuals may indicate their pronouns in their email signature or when they introduce themselves. Pay attention to this and ensure you follow their lead.
Once you are informed about someone’s pronouns, it is important that you use these. Intentionally and/or repeatedly using the wrong pronouns for someone can constitute harassment. See our Dignity at Work and Dignity at Study policies.
Please note that the phrase ‘preferred pronouns’ is no longer used because the terms suggests someone’s gender is up for debate.
The more that we normalise talking about pronouns, the more comfortable we will be to ask one another this important question.
Titles
Professor should not be abbreviated to ‘Prof’ in written communication, unless space is limited, such as for a social post.
Contracted titles such as Dr, Mr and Mrs should not be followed by a full stop.
Given regional differences in academic titles (e.g. the US vs UK system of ‘assistant professors’) it is important to confirm which title an academic uses.
A knighted academic should be referred to with academic title first, e.g. Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell.
The Debretts website is a useful resource for guidance on addressing members of the peerage.
After the first reference, use just the title and surname of the individual (e.g. Professor Higham said that she agreed on the matter.)
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Professional services
Use upper case for specific titles, e.g. Head of Design and Digital
Use lower case when referring to roles within a sentence e.g. advisor, counsellor
Use a comma between a person’s name and job title. e.g. Professor Jenny Higham, Vice-Chancellor.
Team names: use upper case for name of team and lower case for the word ‘team’. e.g. Communications team.
Academic
The first time a member of academic staff is mentioned, their title, forename and surname should be used. Thereafter, title and surname only should generally be used.
Forename only may be used in certain less formal contexts, as long as the full title and name is used in the first instance, and use of the forename only is consistent throughout the piece of writing.
For example:
(External-facing news item) Professor Jenny Higham became Vice-Chancellor in 2015. Professor Higham is a practising clinician in gynaecology.
(Current staff - or student-oriented news item) Professor Jenny Higham is the Vice-Chancellor of St George’s, University of London. In October 2021, Jenny toured the Radiotherapy & Oncology VERT as part of Allied Health Professions day.
‘Students’ Union’, not ‘Student’s Union’ or ‘Student Union’. Add (SU) in brackets after the initial use of Students’ Union in an article if using ‘SU’ thereafter.
Please note that ‘enrol’ has one l in British English, two in American English.
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An alumna is one female graduate.
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For a group of female graduates, you can use the plural alumnae.
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Increasingly, alum is used as a short, unisex form
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Alums is the plural of alum
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But watch out: alum is also used as a shortcut for referencing aluminium. Don’t get your graduates mixed up with your chemical elements.
When referring to an alumnus of St George's, the year of graduation should be included in brackets after the individual’s full name, unless they are deceased, in which case the year of their birth followed by the year of their death is added in brackets after their name.
Individual alumni are always referred to as an ‘alumnus’, regardless of gender.
For example: