The How, Where, and Why of Reference Initials

Reference initials are used to identify the writer, signer, and/or typist of a document. Reference initials are typed in all lowercase or all uppercase at the bottom left side of a document. If the writer and signer are the same person then that person's name is usually typed in the closing of the document, and only the initials of the typist are listed.

In some cases a document is signed, written, and typed by three different people. In that case, typically the signer's name is typed in the By line of the document. The document would then have the initials of the writer and the typist, separated by a colon, on the bottom left side. For example, the following document is signed by Dr. Freidman, written by the doctor's assistant--Carrie Garrison, and typed by the secretary--Jane Smith.