Email Conventions
Email is often an effective way to communicate and get questions answered in academic, professional, and personal contexts. However, it's easy to forget that your emails are a reflection of you as a student. You should always aim to portray yourself as a mature and respectful student, whether you're in the classroom or sending an email. Just as you probably speak to your teachers more formally than you speak to your friends, you should email your teachers more formally than you text your friends. Here are some guidelines for sending polite, professional emails.
Annotated Model
Video Overview
Email Structure
Include all these elements in your email.
Subject
Be concise and specific. Your subject should make it clear what the email is about.
Examples: Tonight’s Homework; Question about Macbeth Essay
Salutation (Greeting)
Start your email by addressing the person you're emailing. Make sure you spell their name correctly. Skip a line after the salutation.
Example: Dear Ms. Smetana,
Body
Make sure the body of your email is clear, concise, and proofread. Use correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. If you write multiple paragraphs, skip lines between them. Also, skip a line before the closing.
Closing & Signature
End with a polite closing followed by a comma. Then type your name on the line below.
Examples: Thank you, Best, Sincerely,
Shared Document Message
You should also include a message when sharing a document to clarify why you're sharing it. This option should appear when you select the "Share" icon. Follow the same guidelines as when sending an email.
Additional Advice
Send emails early; you might not get an answer about a paper due the next day. Recognize that your email recipient might be busy, and it might take a few days to get a response. Wait a few days before sending another email or ask your question in person.
Respect your recipient's time: try not to send emails it will take more than 2 minutes to respond to. If you have a complicated question or issue to discuss — especially related to grades — try to do this in person. You can definitely use email to make an appointment to have a discussion in person.
Whenever possible, have in-person discussions whenever you're asking for a large favor, such as a letter of recommendation or an extension on an assignment.
Don't share Google documents or send files without including a message. You get the option to add a message when you share a Google document; please do this. Follow the same guidelines for sharing documents as you use for sending emails.