[Welcome, lifehack.org, Lifehacker, and 43 Folders readers. Welcome, PhinisheD and ScienceBlogs readers. Welcome, everybody.]
I've
read enough e-mails to know that many college students could benefit
from some guidelines for writing an e-mail to a professor. Here they
are:
Write from your college or university e-mail account.
That immediately lets your professor see that your e-mail is legitimate
and not spam. The cryptic or cutesy or salacious personal e-mail
address that might be okay when you send an e-mail to a friend is not
appropriate when you're writing to a professor.
Include the course number in your subject line.
"Question about 3009 assignment" is clear and sounds genuine, while "a
question" looks like spam. "Question about English assignment" or
"question about assignment," without identifying the class you're in,
may leave your professor with the chore of figuring that out. For
someone teaching large lecture classes, that might mean reading through
hundreds of names on rosters. But even for a professor with smaller
classes, it's a drag to get an e-mail that merely says "I'm in your
English class and need the assignment." All your English professor's
classes are English classes; she or he still needs to know which one is
yours.
Consider, in light of this advice, the following examples:
An e-mail from "qtpie2005" with the subject line "question."Which one looks legitimate? Which one looks like spam?
An e-mail from an university account with the subject line "question about English 2011 essay."
Think about what you're saying. Most students are not accustomed to writing to their professors. Here are some ways to do it well:
Choose an appropriate greeting. "Hi/Hello Professor [Blank]" is always appropriate. Substitute "Dear" and you've ended up writing a letter; leave out "Hi" and your tone is too brusque.One don't, and one last do:
Avoid rote apologies for missing class. Most professors are tired of hearing those standard apologies and acts of contrition. If you missed class because of some especially serious or sad circumstances, it might be better to mention that in person than in an e-mail.
Ask politely. "Could you e-mail me the page numbers for the next reading? Thanks!" is a lot better than "I need the assignment."
Proofread what you've written. You want your e-mail to show you in the best possible light.
Sign with your full name, course number, and meeting time.
Maggie Simpson
English 3703, MWF 10:00
Signing is an obvious courtesy, and it eliminates the need for stilted self-identification ("I am a student in your such-and-such class").
Don't send unexpected attachments. It's bad form. Attaching an essay with a request that your professor look it over is very bad form. Arrange to meet your professor during office hours or by appointment instead. It's especially bad form to send an e-mail that says "I won't be in class today," with a paper or some other coursework attached. Think about it: Your professor is supposed to print out your essay because you're not coming to class?
When you get a reply, say thanks. Just hit Reply and say "Thanks," or a little bit more if that's appropriate. The old subject line (which will now have a "Re:" in front) will make the context clear. I don't think that you need to include a greeting with a short reply, at least not if you refer to your professor in your reply. And you don't need to identify yourself by course number and meeting time again.
Many e-mail messages end up never reaching their intended recipients, for reasons of human and technological error, so it's always appropriate to acknowledge that someone's message got through. It's also plain courtesy to say thanks. (Your professor will remember it too.) When you reply, you should delete almost everything of your professor's reply (quoting everything is rarely appropriate in e-mail). Leave just enough to make the original context clear.
So what would a good e-mail to a professor look like?
Hi Professor Leddy,And a subsequent note of thanks:
I'm working on my essay on William Carlos Williams and I'm not sure what to make of the last stanza of "Spring and All." I'm stuck trying to figure out what "It" is. Do you have a suggestion? Thanks!
Maggie Simpson
Eng 3703, MWF 10:00
> "It" is most likely spring, or life itself. But have you[Revised September 26 and October 29, 2005; February 4, 2006.]
> looked up "quicken"? That'll probably make
> "It" much clearer.
It sure did. Thanks for your help, Professor.
Maggie Simpson
More useful stuff for students:
Beware of the saurusAnd if you want to read the most recent posts, here's the front page:
Granularity for students
How to do well on a final exam
How to do horribly on a final exam
How to punctuate a sentence
How to punctuate more sentences
How to talk to a professor
How to unstuff a sentence
Is this honor society legitimate?
Rule 7
Seeing professors clearly
Yo, professor!
Orange Crate Art[Some further thoughts: I'm astonished by the amount of interest in this post--over 1,600 visits in the past two days. Then again, there really isn't anything very similar on-line--or if there is, I haven't found it--so if what I've written is useful, well, I'm happy.
My one purpose in writing these guidelines was to help college students write to their professors with greater ease and maturity and a better sense of audience (instead of "i am a student in your class"). They're guidelines for writing to a professor, any professor, in the absence of other guidelines. And they're meant to keep the e-mailer in the high esteem of any professor to whom he or she is writing.
Most of the reasoning behind the guidelines is omitted for concision. But I'll elaborate a little here. Why, for instance, write from a university account? A professor filtering spam will almost certainly also have a filter to okay mail from addresses from her or his "edu." So if you want your mail to get through, an "edu" account is a smart choice. Many schools require students to use those accounts for official school business already. Writing from an appropriate address is smart practice for the future too. (I always say something when I see a tacky or juvenile e-mail address on an otherwise polished student résumé.)
Why say "Hi/Hello Professor [Blank]?" Well, what should a student call a professor? Some people like "Doctor"; some don't. Some people don't have a doctorate. Some people don't explain any of that to students. There was a great piece in the Chronicle about this subject not long ago--"What Should We Call the Professor?" Professor, in the absence of any other guidelines, seems like a good choice.
Having received many telegraphic one-sentence e-mails, often with no greeting, no thank-you, and no signature, I find them weirdly depersonalized: "I need the assignment." I do think a question is better, better even than a polite "Please send the assignment," because the question is more conversational, more human. (But if a student e-mails me and says "I need the assignment," I send it!)
Why sign with your name, class, and meeting time? It's a courtesy, yes, but it also avoids the awkward "My name is . . . , and I am a student in your such-and-such class," all of which is taken care of in the signature. It occurs to me that "My name is . . . , and I am a student in . . ." is telling evidence of the unfamiliarity of e-mail as a way for students to communicate with professors.
I appreciate the point several commenters have made about a follow-up thank-you being unneeded. Still, a lot of e-mail doesn't get through, and the follow-up, to my mind, closes the loop. Many people do a follow-up by using the subject line to say thanks, often followed by the abbreviation "eom" (end of message). That seemed to me too arcane to recommend. But I do like the idea of closing the loop by saying yes, I got it, thanks.
I hope that this post leads to much more talking on the part of professors and students about communicating by e-mail. All reports from the business world point to enormous problems of clarity, correctness, and decorum with e-mail writing. Maybe things can start to go better in college.
Added September 30, 2005; revised October 29, 2005.]
Tags
academia, college, education, email, etiquette, howto, students, teaching, tips, university
48 comments:
Thanks for the help. This was just the thing i was looking for and i think that everybody should read this.
Example:
Hi profesor Gusev
I'm sending this mail so you would assign me a project.
From:
Name LastName
index
Hi Professor:
I work at a university in Idaho and am in charge of leadership development (especially in the area of extracurricular activites). This is a superb post that I will pass on to my students. Their professors will be very grateful for your insightful comments.
tim
http://studentlinc.typepad.com
This makes sense for professors who teach large lectures.
However, as a student, I hate feeling like just another number and grade to professors. Its my #1 pet peeve at my university.
If I'm in a class with under 25 students, where discussion is common, I expect to be able to email the professor with a question about the material and have him or her know who I am.
In large lectures, with smaller sections, I expect to be able to email the TA and have him or her know who I am.
Is this just because I'm a whiny, self-centered and self-righteous student? Probably, because most of us are. Still, it is professional courtesy that anyone would expect of someone they work with or for, day in and day out.
Thanks for the comments, Tim and anonymous readers. Anonymous 2, I wholly agree that you should be able to count on a prof in a small class knowing who you are. (I know all of my students, by name and class.)
I've received many e-mails from students with no signature and nothing more than the cryptic e-mail address my school issues (e.g., "cukl6," no first or last name) to let me figure out who's writing. So my recommendation here is the result of wondering, "Who is this?"
Hi Professer,
Just last week, I wrote a very similar post regarding what a good email to a co-worker looks like versus a bad email, with examples of each. :) I really enjoyed reading your tips, because it really is about being considerate and doing your part in the communication process as a student, instead of creating extra work for the recepient. Thank you.
With only minor modifications for context, these rules/tips apply to any email situation -- even between friends.
Those of us that recieve high volumes of email are always frustrated by friends/colleagues who just have no clue about email ettiquette and do things like change the subject on every reply or use all-caps or don't quote back. And yes, spelling and grammar still count -- even when you're saying "Let's meet for some beer at the pub!".
:-)
Thanks for posting this. I've added it to my del.icio.us (I found it through it's popular feed).
Cheers!
Allan
I will add this to my Yahoo thing, too. I'm e-mailing a lot of professors these days...
Lucky for me I have never had a class tought by such a prima donna
Are you kidding? This is common sense. What kind of dumb, b-rate institutions are you guys affiliated with?
Hi,
I'm a Uni lecturer in the UK, and this really hit home. I am going to put the URL in my students' module guides from now on!
Just one point - it would be great if I could know all the names of students even in small (<25) classes. Both I and the students themselves would get more from it. If this was the only group I came into contact with, no problem. But remember, I have lots of these groups. And had lots last year too. And the year before.
I agree with everything here but the final "Thanks" reply. I can only imagine if everyone I email throughout the day replied with that type of acknowledgement. I would spend a large portion of the day just deleting these types of replies!
If someone shows courtesy in their request, your reply should be the end of the email conversation. There is no need to clutter email inboxes with one word "Thanks" replies. However, if the request is answered over and beyond the call of duty, someone should certainly show courtesy in that instance with a reply.
Just my preference. Nice post.
A colleague passed this on to me. Definitely posting it on my class websites :> I often teach three sections of the same class so having students mention which section they're in so I can find them on my roster is extremely helpful.
Though I too actually prefer not to get replies unless they're bringing up a new question or subject.
You remarked that you are surprised by the popularity of you post. I believe it's so popular because it's been added to del.icio.us by 57 people. I thought you might find that interesting.
http://del.icio.us/popular/university
Bless you. Keep fighting the good fight.
Good set of instructions, but as a student in a non-english University have found that e-mails should be writen in english.
Also have found that most Perfessors ansewer in one-line ansewers that go along the lines of "Come to my office hours"
Please, profesers and lecturers, when are these hours, they are not posted on line, only in the departments office!
Thank you
To the anonymous students complaining about this post:
The guidelines above are perfectly reasonable. In a business environment, they would be considered standard. In any case, isn't it in your best interests to make life easier for your professor when you email him or her? It stands to reason that a student following the guidelines above will leave a good impression, whereas qtpie_69@hotmail.com who is brusque and rude won't.
[to rude Anoymous posters]
It also stands to reason that if you are asking someone for a favor (sending you the assignment), being polite about it works way better than being snide.
[Professor Leddy]
Common sense rules, thanks. I work as a sysadmin at a university and we plan on using these as a framework for guidelines for students who email us with problems or questions on our servers.
And since we open a "problem ticket" for each contact, a thank you will let us know that our suggestion has solved their problem and we can close the ticket.
Thanks for the appreciative words, Melanie and banzai.
Just a note: I think your tips are incredibly helpful, the only criticism that I have is with your example of the student question about the Williams essay example. Thing is, I tell my students that in general if they have questions of this sort, they should be addressed in my office. The medium of email should simply be used (in these kinds of cases) to set up the appointment and perhaps explain what the nature of the question is. And, just a note to Askrra: I'm not sure what kind of institution you attend, but at mine the instructors always make their office hours available to students on the syllabus, which is handed out on the first day of class. I am, however, constantly amazed at the number of students who don't know this because they don't bother to read the syllabus at all.
I found these tips belittling to me as a student. While some are understandable, most of it is so strict that I feel like I'm bowing down to the professor instead of treating them as a normal person, as other professors have told me they like better. Maybe it's just because my particular professor wanted me to look at this and I did all the (right) things.
As a university professor I don't want anyone to bow down to me, but I do expect some respect for me a person with a life. Students have come to expect constant and immediate atention every question and get indignant if it is not instantaneously forthcoming.
I do not feel that I am 'on call'. I have generous office hours when students can come, sit down with me and usually get a much more satisfying answer or solution to their problems.
I very strongly feel that a “thank you” acknowledgement is required for any e-mail request - the lack of it is simply rude.
You are asking someone for something (information, help, .. ) and they are responding. That minimally merits a “thank you”.
Would you think it would be ok to walk into your Prof’s office, ask a question, get the answer and then simply turn around and walk out without saying a word (or hanging up the phone after you get your answer)?? I would hope not. A thank you is simple courtesy.
Using technology doesn’t mean you can be rude; there are still people at the other end of your e-mail. I would not treat my students or colleagues that way, and I expect the same from them.
Thank you.
ps: I also agree with the generally useless/wasteful inclusion of the whole message being replied to. Either delete it totally, or only leave in the relevant parts.
Cindy, your comment helps make clear that individual guidelines are exactly what profs need to make clear to students. (The guidelines I've written are to use in the absence of any other guidelines, as I say in my post.) I though would much rather get the question by e-mail and write back, while the student is perhaps still working on the essay. (That happens often, and I think it's rather cool.)
Anonymous 1, maybe you could think of these guidelines as meant for someone who's not already doing the right things. To me, they really do apply to writing to a "normal" person -- write from a suitable address, use a clear subject line, say hello, and so on -- all basic courtesy, no? News articles about e-mail communication in the working world would indicate that many people could begin to get much better at it in college.
Anonymous 2, I guess that my attitude about e-mail and yours differ. I too put in lots of time in office hours, but I don't mind answering questions online, if they can be answered well in that way. I would say that the quality of the e-mails I get from my students has greatly improved since I began asking everyone to read these guidelines.
And on that happy note, I will say thanks to everyone for the comments.
Anonymous 3, I didn't mean to ignore you -- you were posting while I was writing the previous comment. As you can see from the other comments here, there's no consensus about saying thanks. To my mind though, it's never a bad idea. Thanks for your comment!
Another good reason to sign with name, class, and section number is to avoid further email exchange that would otherwise be necessary.
For instance:
Student: Hello, can you please let me know what my grade was?
Me: OK, but what section are you in?
Student: Oh sorry, it's section 219B.
I'm a professor and I intend to direct students to this post from now on. I have suggested similar guidelines in my syllabi, but haven't done so in such detail. Also, about the thanks, I agree. I always drop students a line to let them know I've received their emails, and I appreciate those few who thank me for sending them the assignment. It takes a fraction of a second to delete each one, and it gives me pleasure to receive them.
Then there are the few who say, "Did you get my email?" and when I say, "Yes, did you get my reply with the assignment included?" they respond, "Oh, I didn't check." Hmmmmm.....
"Then there are the few who say, 'Did you get my email?' and when I say, 'Yes, did you get my reply with the assignment included?' they respond, 'Oh, I didn't check.'"
I've had that happen too, Tarakuanyin, sometimes after writing rather lengthy replies about complicated questions and problems. Those situations are what prompted me to suggest saying thanks. But now I'm sometimes adding "(no need to reply)" after my signature to cut down on pro forma thank-yous.
Professor Leddy,
I'm afraid I don't understand why writing "My name is So-and-So, and I'm in your Such-and-Such class" in the beginning of an email is considered impolite or lacking in understanding of one's audience. It seems to me that without that tiny introduction, the email seems too abrupt. If I'm not mistaken, one of the points you made in your article was that an email to a professor should be like a polite, mannerly conversation. Well, in a real-life conversation, one wouldn't just come up to someone and start randomly saying things or asking for favors - they would have to introduce themselves first. "My name is So-and-So, and I'm in your Such-and-Such class" is just that.
That's a good observation. I don't think it's at all impolite to say "My name is," etc., but I do think it's somewhat stilted. If someone signs with her or his name and class, it seems to me that "My name is" becomes unnecessary. Not in some way wrong, but just not needed. If the subject line names the class and the e-mail begins with a greeting (making it already obvious that the writer is a student in a particular class), I'd say that the signature is enough to identify the writer in an appropriate way.
Keep in mind too that the examples in my post assume that the student is in a class and is thus known to the professor. But even if not, I still think that leaving one's name for the end (where it's going to have to show up anyway) is fine.
Michael:
Your original post on this subject was so relevant and so effective that I've permalinked to it from our School of Music's student "Resources" page. Excellent and practical advice--and can only improve professors' email quality-of-life!
Thanks.
cjs
Michael Leddy,
This was post was extremely useful, and was a great help. Thanks!
Hi professor,
This post is greatly useful for a student like me.
Thanks.
XYZ
Thanks, Anons and CJS. I'm happy that students and faculty continue to find this post helpful.
Thanks for sharing such a usefull information with us. I definately appreciate this.
Regards,
Komail Noori
Web Site Design - SEO Expert
This was a very interesting article, I learned that as a student it is important to send your student e-mail address from your school to the professor. That way, the teacher knows it was you who did send the e-mail, and not someone else.
I appreciate this blog, but wanted to suggest one additional thing. Under your "Talking to a Professor" post, you mentioned that instead of asking "what are your office hours?" that the student should first check the syllabus to see if they are listed. That is how I feel about asking about assignments as well. I am a math professor and the assignments for the ENTIRE semester are included in the syllabus, along with what day's lecture will cover the relevant material and when the assignments are due. Even with all of that information, I still get students that miss class and then write me asking for the assignment. Students need to get in the habit of checking the available resources before sending these types of emails.
Dear Professor,
Thank your for that very usefull blog.
I have one question about sending emails to abroad professors (Japan).
Is their any special rules to write an email to a professor asking him to be one of his research students.
Best regards
Hellp Djellel,
I think it's unlikely that a professor would be able to respond to an e-mail with this kind of request. I think that you would need to begin by applying to the school where you'd like to study.
Thank you for all the information. Do you have any advice regarding emails to law professors. I will begin law school this coming fall, so I do not know the Prof. and their preferences.
Thanks!
Anon., I'd suggest waiting to see if your professors offer any guidelines. If they don't, I'd just follow the guidelines here — they're suitable, I think, for any academic e-mail.
I am a professor, and I happened upon your page while looking for a link to place it my syllabi about emailing me. If I get ONE MORE email that does not contain capital letters or complete words, I may lose what is left of my patience with this issue.
do not write UR prof lk U R txting a friend!
Hello Professor Leddy,
I would like your response to two questions if you don't mind.
First, I've included an "Email Rules" section to my syllabus. I've slightly changed some of the things you suggested, but where should i place your name on the printed syllabus since such ideas mainly derive from your post?
Second, with respect to the above post, is it pretentious to ask students to refer to me in emails as "Professor" even though I am an ABD part-time faculty member. When I had students call me by my first name they emailed me in a less professional and slightly "too comfortable" format.
Just curious about your thoughts on these matters. Thanks, Dissertator
Thanks for asking, Anon.
If you're giving students rules of your devising inspired by what I've written here, you could give my name, the post title, and the URL (informal but completely acceptable).
If you've read Ben Yagoda's "What Should We Call the Professor?" (there's a link in this post), you know that name preferences vary. I suggest "Professor" if a student has been given no indication about what to say. I like "Mr." and "Ms.," either of which seems like a good alternative to "Professor." You can cue students via your e-mail rules and syllabus as to what they should call you. To me, first names for professors have always seemed a little weird for all involved. The distance that comes with "Mr." or "Ms." or "Prof." is appropriate, I'd say.
I am a Professor and would only disagree with one of Professor Leddy's points. A student does not have to reply to my email with a "Thanks" - I assume you are happy to get what you asked for and lowers the clutter in my email account.
As I wrote, "I do like the idea of closing the loop by saying yes, I got it, thanks." I think it's good practice unless someone tells you otherwise.
I am missing something - what is the difficulty with putting your office hours into a sig line that you use in your reply?
Some students have work during those hours, or will be unable to meet with you before they need their question/s answered.
There are serious students; if we're asking for something it's because we need it, not because we're trying to create difficulties.
This cuts both ways. I had a professor that announced that he was going to hold a review for the final exam. That day I waited at least 2-3 hours past when I usually would have left campus.
He never showed up, nor did anyone else in the class. Another teacher told me he was gone for the day. When I asked at the exam, everyone looked at me like I was stupid, and most said it was obvious he had been kidding. They blew off the class and I didn't - it wasn't funny to me.
The supposed review was on a different day than normal, thankfully one I did not have to work. I would have been in trouble then.
I have known of at least one studentwho dropped a class because of his inabiiity to get out on time; they had been told if they were late to work, they would lose their jobs. Some students have professors that will drop/fail them from the class if they are late. Things to consider. Being able to immediately look at your professor's office hours, in their reply, while trying to judge your time as well, is very helpful.
I try to treat my professors and classmates seriously and professionally, until I find to do otherwise. Usually I get the same treatment in return.
It sounds to me, Theresa, as though you've been in some situations with faulty communication. Most professors, the overwhelming majority of professors, include office hours on their syllabi. Most professors are willing to talk to students at other times too (notice in my post that I mention making an appointment).
A syllabus without office hours seems to me a bad sign — it suggests that the person teaching isn't really thinking about her or his responsibility to students.
Dear Professor,
Such fine and infinite rules and regulations for writing e-mails to a superior. However, since I am also of the same profession, I am writing to congratulate you on covering all aspects of e-mail ettiquette with the exception of equality of status.
I am looking forward to this class as a review of my best literary English friends. I also teach European literature, the Greek and Roman classics and enjoy how English literature is based on the latter. As an English adjunct,I also teach music history, theory and instrumentation at NOVA, Manassas Campus, Virginia, for the past few years. Full time,however, I teach Latin at Central H.S., Woodstock, Virginia, and take classes with ELI on a regular basis in art, history, world literature, German, and other language classes.
Sincerely yours in the celebration of ongoing scholarship,
Jean M. Patrick, Ph. D.
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