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The term refers to the letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, military decoration, or honour, etc. The order in which they should be listed is outlined below. Use only those relevant to your writing.

  1. Official honours and appointments (e.g. ONZM JP)
  2. Degrees in ascending order, even if this is not the order of completion of qualifications (e.g. BA MSc(Otago) PhD(Auck))
  3. Diplomas awarded by universities or other tertiary institutions
  4. Certificates awarded by universities or other tertiary institutions
  5. Fellowships of learned or professional bodies (in any order)
  6. Memberships of learned or professional bodies (in any order)
  • Dr Julius Hibbert BSc(Hons) MB ChB MGP(Otago) DipObst(Auck) MRNZCGP

About the Writing Style Guide

This guide is designed to help ensure writing style – whether for internal or external audiences, written for print or online – is consistent and maintains a professional standard across the University. It is not designed for academic writing.

Feedback

Please send any feedback – including reports of errors or requests for changes – to writing.style@otago.ac.nz

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