: Re: How should one refer to knights (& dames) in academic writing? In ordinary English usage, one would refer to a knight called 'Forename Surname' as Sir Forename, not Surname, e.g. Sir Forename

@Cooney417

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Usage will vary based on the style guide. Some will ask writers to omit the title. Others will conform closely to standard English usage.
In MLA 8, under 1.1.2 (Titles of Authors), it recommends that titles "such as Dr., Saint, or Sir" be omitted from works cited lists and "usually" omitted from text discussion. Among the examples is "Philip Sidney (not Sir Philip Sidney)." So Firstname Surname or (after a first usage) Surname would be acceptable, both without the title. Section 2.1.2 confirms the same guideline for works cited pages: write Surname, Firstname without the title.
I have seen exceptions and inclusions of title for people well known by their title, where the title is a point of emphasis, like Lord Byron or (with first usage) Sir Thomas Malory. That would only pertain in-text; it is still "Malory, Thomas" in the Works Cited page.
In the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, under 8.31 (Titles of Nobility; may be paywalled), the following description recommends including the title:

Unlike most of the titles mentioned in the previous paragraphs, titles of nobility do not denote offices (such as that of a president or an admiral). Whether inherited or conferred, they form an integral and, with rare exceptions, permanent part of a person’s name and are therefore usually capitalized. The generic element in a title, however (duke, earl, etc.), is lowercased when used alone as a short form of the name. (In British usage, the generic term used alone remains capitalized in the case of royal dukes but not in the case of nonroyal dukes; in North American usage such niceties may be disregarded.) For further advice consult The Times Style and Usage Guide (bibliog. 1.1), and for a comprehensive listing consult the latest edition of Burke’s Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage (bibliog. 4.1). See also 8.22.

As an example, these choices are listed, allowing Sir Forename, Sir Forename Surname, but not Sir Surname:

the baronet; the knight; Sir Paul McCartney; Sir Paul (not Sir McCartney)

For bibliographies, Sir and similar titles are usually omitted (16.38), though they leave the final decision up to the writer:

Unless necessary for identification, the titles Lord and Lady are best omitted from an index, since their use with given names is far from simple. Sir and Dame, while easier to cope with, are also unnecessary in most indexes.
Churchill, Winston [or Churchill, Sir Winston]

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