Dictated but not read

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Dictated but not read is a note at the end of a document that says the author did not personally write or proofread the text. The words may have been dictated to a secretary because the author didn’t have time to edit it. This practice is common in medicine, though people disagree about whether it is appropriate. The phrase warns readers to read carefully and may also be used as a disclaimer to limit liability. Busy authors sometimes sign off with this notation, but some see it as disrespectful if the author wasn’t truly pressed for time. It is often used in fast, routine correspondence where formality matters less; in other cases, it can feel discourteous to the recipient.