Should doctor be capitalized in a sentence?
A career like “doctor” is only capitalized when it is used as a title, as in the following example. In this sentence, the first “doctor” refers to a type of career (as in the last example) and should not be capitalized. The second “doctor,” however, is used as the title of a specific person: Doctor Simons.
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Proper Nouns.
Capitalize | Do not capitalize |
---|---|
Dr. Kellogg | physician, doctor |
Nurse Freeman | nurse, registered nurse, advanced practice nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant |
Job Titles and Positions
Only capitalize a job title or position when it precedes the name of the job holder.
In summary, the rules for capitalizing job titles are: Job titles are normally capitalized when they stand in for (or are part of) a proper name, especially when the title precedes a person's name.
academic degrees
Observe the following capitalization for these Manchester University degrees: Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts, Master of Science, Doctor of Pharmacy. Degrees abbreviated in all capital letters do not need periods.
Academic degrees are capitalized only when the full name of the degree is used, such as Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science. General references, such as bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree, are not capitalized.
The term nurse practitioner is used to describe an occupational type and is generally used as a common noun which refers to a generic title for a person, place, or thing. Therefore, it should not be used in the capitalized form in most circumstances.
Capitalizing Doctoral Degrees
Use Dr. as a formal title on first reference to individuals with degrees in medicine, optometry, dental surgery, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine or veterinary medicine. For individuals with doctoral degrees in other disciplines, you may use Dr.
In general, you should capitalize the first word, all nouns, all verbs (even short ones, like is), all adjectives, and all proper nouns. That means you should lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositions—however, some style guides say to capitalize conjunctions and prepositions that are longer than five letters.
Capitalization (titles, departments, units, etc.) Proper nouns and official names are capitalized. Common nouns and informal forms of official names are not capitalized. Capitalize only the official and complete names of colleges, schools, departments, divisions, offices and official bodies.
What is the rule for capitalization in titles?
According to most style guides, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are capitalized in titles of books, articles, and songs. You'd also capitalize the first word and (according to most guides) the last word of a title, regardless of what part of speech they are.
In text, academic degrees when used in a general sense are not capitalized. (That campus offers bachelor's and master's degrees.) You can also use "bachelor's" and "master's" on its own, but do not capitalize. (Example: She said she hoped to earn her master's by next spring.)

Note that DrPH (doctor of public health) and PhD (from the Latin philosophiae doctor) include lowercase letters.
the Doctor of Pharmacy abbreviation, by the way, is Pharm. D. Just in case you are curious, “Pharm. D.” or “PharmD” is considered correct; (with no space in between); however, using the “Pharm.
Specialties and subspecialties, such as neurology and interventional cardiology, are not formal names and should not be capitalized.
Review: In general use, do not capitalize when you “informally” refer to the degree & its subject area (e.g. master's in education, associate (without apostrophe), master's or doctorate. Capitalize when you specify the actual degree (Associate of Arts, AA, BA or Bachelor of Arts, PsyD, PhD).
However, if you are referring to the specific degree that you earned or are earning, then you should capitalize it. Title capitalization rules require that you capitalize each word when quoting the specific name of the associate's degree such as Associate of Science.
So, the short answer is yes – a DNP nurse may be referred to as "doctor," however, some states have legislation surrounding this.
A nurse practitioner (NP) is a nurse with a graduate degree in advanced practice nursing. This type of provider may also be referred to as an ARNP (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner) or APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse).
Don't capitalize job titles like manager, director, and chairman when used descriptively with someone's name instead of as a title that is part of the name. In other words, don't capitalize job titles used in apposition.
Should professor of medicine be capitalized?
The rule of thumb is to capitalize academic titles that precede an individual's name but lowercase academic titles that follow a name.
The word department should only be capitalized when it precedes the name of the program. When used in plural form (departments), it should not be capitalized.
- Capitalize the first word in a sentence. This is an easy one that is pretty consistent across languages with Latin-based alphabets.
- Capitalize the pronoun 'I' in any location. Remember that you are important! ...
- Capitalize all proper nouns.
- Names of people. ...
- Names of places. ...
- Names of companies and trademarks. ...
- Capitalize honorary and professional titles. ...
- Capitalize familial relationships. ...
- Capitalize major words in a title. ...
- Capitalize days, months, and (sometimes) seasons. ...
- Capitalize holidays.
- Always capitalize the first word as well as all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. ...
- Articles, conjunctions, and prepositions should not be capitalized. ...
- Capitalize the first element in a hyphenated compound. ...
- Capitalize both elements of spelled-out numbers or simple fractions.
The following are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when determining whether to capitalize a job title on a cover letter: Always capitalize proper nouns. If a job title contains a proper noun, you should always capitalize it. Do not capitalize a job title if it is being used to describe a job.
- Articles (a, an, the)
- Short words (fewer than 4 letters)
- Prepositions (at, by, to, etc.)
- Coordinating Conjunctions (and, but, for)
- Capitalize the first word of the title and (if applicable) the subtitle.
- Capitalize the last word.
- Capitalize all nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and subordinating conjunctions.
- Use lowercase for articles (the, a, an), prepositions, and coordinating conjunctions.
- The first word in a sentence. ...
- A person's first and last name. ...
- Names of cities, states, countries and other such places. ...
- A trademarked term, such as a brand name. ...
- Government bodies, agencies and the like. ...
- The main words in the title of a work, such as a book, song, movie or TV show.
- Capitalize the First Word of a Sentence. ...
- Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns. ...
- Don't Capitalize After a Colon (Usually) ...
- Capitalize the first word of the Quote (sometimes) ...
- Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, But Not Seasons. ...
- Capitalize Most Words in Titles.
How do you write doctor in a sentence?
Example Sentences
Noun He needed medicine but refused to go to a doctor. She was under doctor's orders not to return to work. I saw her at the doctor's last week.
It should always be capitalized when abbreviated to Dr., as in Dr.
Answer and Explanation: The noun 'doctor' can be used as both a proper and a common noun. When 'doctor' is used as a title that is part of a specific doctor's name, it is a proper noun and should be capitalized.
Only Dr. is correct as it is an abbreviation. You should always use the full stop. In the UK, the use of the full stop appears to be ok to use either Dr or Dr. However, in America the de facto is to always use the period / full stop — it's Dr.
D., the salutation should be "Dear Dr. Smith:". If you are asked to respond to a medical doctor, address the letter and envelope to Edward Smith M.D., but the salutation should read, "Dear Dr. Smith".
Use a comma between the name and the abbreviated degree, as in "Joe Smith, M.D." This also applies to professional titles; for example, "Mary Richards, director of development." If written in a sentence, include a second comma after the degree or title: "Joe Smith, M.D., will speak at the conference."
Capitalizing Doctoral Degrees
Use Dr. as a formal title on first reference to individuals with degrees in medicine, optometry, dental surgery, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine or veterinary medicine. For individuals with doctoral degrees in other disciplines, you may use Dr.
DOs, or doctors of osteopathy, are medical doctors that share many similarities with MDs, or doctors of medicine, and provide the same quality care.
The Doctor of Education (Ed. D. or D. Ed.; Latin Educationis Doctor or Doctor Educationis) is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education.
When in doubt, “Dr. Last Name” is the safest way to address an academic you don't know anything about. It is generally the standard form of address for instructors who do not hold the rank of professor such as lecturers, readers, senior lecturers, and research associates.
Are professions proper nouns?
Capitalize professional titles only when they precede the proper noun, but don't capitalize professions or corporate and organizational titles.
A proper noun is the specific name of a person, place, organization, or thing. All proper nouns (as well as adjectives derived from them) should be capitalized. Michelle Obama, the former first lady, was raised in Chicago and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.
Addressing a Doctor in Writing
Place the title of “Dr.” before the name of a person who is a doctor of medicine or psychology, doctor of dentistry, or doctor of veterinary medicine. For example Dr. George Ross. Always write the word “doctor” in its abbreviated form when it goes before the person's name.