I work as a magazine editor, and our book follows AP style. According to the AP, the title Dr. should appear only "before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, or doctor of veterinary medicine." So all of you Ph.D. folks are out of luck.
A. Nony Mouse wrote:While it's technically correct to call a Ph.D. a doctor, I find it jarring when people insist in mixed company that others call them that.
If you're in a professional setting, it's appropriate to get called by your professional title. If you're not in a professional setting, no one's professional title should matter. (Which is to say I don't know any PhDs who insist on getting called Dr. outside the classroom/a conference/other work place, but I'd be peeved by a medical doctor demanding to be called "doctor" at the local restaurant, too.)
This situational argument is interesting. When I interned at The New York Times years ago, I remember their courtesy title rules taking situation into account. For medical doctors, we called them Dr. Schmoe if they were working as a doctor or Mr./Mrs. Schmoe if they used to be a doctor and retired to run a karaoke joint. With Ph.D.s, we called them Dr. only if they requested it and only if the story pertained to their work in their field. Otherwise, they too got the Mr./Mrs. treatment. (more on the NYT's thoughts on Dr. here:
http://afterdeadline.blogs.nytimes.com/ ... tyle/?_r=0 )
Neither the AP guide nor the NYT one, which each at least weigh in one way or the other on Ph.D.s, even mentions the possibility of calling a lawyer a doctor, which I think it telling.