"In respect of" / "With respect to"

Both of the phrases In respect of and with respect to are standard and acceptable phrases (at least in British English), as shown by the dictionary extracts and other references below.

In respect to is not standard and no doubt results from mixing the two phrases.

in respect of or with respect to something [1]
with reference to, or in connection with (a particular matter, point, etc).

in respect of (or with respect to) [2]
as regards; with reference to: the two groups were similar with respect to age, sex, and diagnoses

in respect of, in reference to; in regard to; concerning. [3]
with respect to, referring to; concerning: with respect to your latest request. [3]
reference or relation (esp in the phrases in respect of , with respect to ) [3]

in respect to Also, with respect to . See in regard to. [4]
with / in regard to, referring to; concerning: With regard to the new contract, we have some questions. [5]

It will be apparent from the above definitions that the following phrases are all effectively equivalent:

in respect of
with respect to
with / in regard to

In the light of earlier comments and answers suggesting that in respect of is non-standard, here are some example usages [6]:

Example sentences for in respect of:

In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.
Anachronisms of two kinds persist in respect of this phenomenon.
Rigid in respect of the upper lip, he sticks to a stern routine of exercises and always dresses in formal attire for dinner.
The region does better than the global average on one factor, government expenditure, but it is worse in respect of taxation.
It is probable that a moratorium, at all events for a short period in respect of trade credits, will be proclaimed.

Famous quotes containing ... in respect of

There is one principal and as it were radical distinction between different minds, in respect of philosophy...
If one had to worry about one's actions in respect of other people's ideas, one might as well be buried ...
Any man who does not see everything in terms of self, that is to say who wants to be something in respect of ...

An example of with respect to [7]:

The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany (or the Two Plus Four Agreement ) was negotiated in 1990 between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), the German Democratic Republic (GDR), and the Four Powers which occupied Germany at the end of World War II in Europe: ...

Finally, examples using in respect to can be found [8], but, as noted above, the dictionaries consulted do not appear to accept it as a standard phrase.

I am a freelance native UK English-speaking translator, editor and proofreader. Today, I came up against "in respect of" in a suggestion put forward by a reviewer from a scientific journal to replace a phrase previously used by the Spanish authors in a paper submitted for publication. I also find "in respect of" very odd and can't recall ever having seen or heard it before, which in my book makes it low frequency usage at best, and possibly even erroneous, despite the dictionary references provided above. Even if it did turn out to be "correct", my own subjective appraisal would still be that it is at best "clunky" , as it made me do a double-take... and I'm still not happy with it. I would therefore avoid using it myself, and am even reluctant to let it stand in the text I'm now revising prior to resubmission to the journal.