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10 Elements of an Effective, Non-Annoying Email (Plagiarized from Medium.com) – From Professor Cooper

Here’s a template you can follow when writing an email to a professor, professional staff member, or future employer. Each element is explained further below.

Dear [1] Professor [2] Last-Name [3],

This is a line that recognizes our common humanity [4].

I’m in your Class Name, Section Number that meets on This Day [5]. This is the question I have or the help I need [6]. I’ve looked in the syllabus and at my notes from class and online and I asked someone else from the class [7], and I think This Is The Answer [8], but I’m still not sure. This is the action I would like you to take [9].

Signing off with a Thank You is always a good idea [10], Favorite Student

Element #1: Salutation

Right off the bat, here’s where you can establish that you view your relationship with your professor as a professional one. I like using “Good morning” or “Good afternoon,’ or you can use “Hello” or “Hi.” (“Hi” is pushing it.)

Element #2: Honorific

An honorific is a title used to communicate respect for a person’s position. The simplest way to do this is to address them as “Professor.” If they have a PhD, you can technically call them “Dr.,” but you’re safer with “Professor.” Not all instructors have PhDs (and many won’t even have the word “professor” in their official job title), but if they are teaching a college class they can be addressed as such. The bonus of “Professor” and “Dr.” is that you don’t need to know your professor’s gender identity or marital status. If you call your prof “Mrs.” or “Miss,” Lord help you.

Element #3: Name

You might be surprised at how frequently students get their professor’s name wrong. This is not difficult information to look up, people! It’s on your syllabus, it’s on the department website, and it’s probably Google-able, too. Use their last name. Spell out the whole thing. Spell it correctly. If there’s a hyphen in it, use both names  and the hyphen.

Element #4: Meaningless Nicety

It never hurts to say something like “I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather today,” or “I hope you had a relaxing weekend,” to start off. It shows that you see your professor as a person who has some kind of life, which they will appreciate. (Don’t you want them to see you that way, too?) It doesn’t really matter what you say here; it’s more the ritual of polite interest that counts. If you can make it come off like you genuinely mean it, bonus points for you.

Element #5: Reminder of how they know you

This one is key, especially if it’s the first time you are contacting your professor. You can’t count on them to remember your name from their rosters or to be able to put your face with your name. The best way to do this is to mention that you’re in a specific course, such as “I’m in your Tuesday / Thursday 8:00 English 101.”

Element #6: The real reason for your email

This is the whole reason you’re sending the email, so make it good. The important thing here is to get in and get out, while remaining courteous. Also, notice the request is made early on in the email. Being upfront shows you value the instructor’s time. Concisely state what it is you need from the professor without offering a bunch of excuses or going into excessive detail. Do not sound like you are making demands. If you can’t explain why you’re emailing in a sentence or two, consider making an appointment to meet in person, in which case your line here will be “I was hoping we could meet to talk about X. What would be a good time for that?” Instructors have office hours, so they should be able to meet with you.

Elements #7 and 8: This is where you prove you’re a wonderful person

There is a t-shirt  for sale on the internet that says, “It’s in the syllabus.” Think for a second about why there is a market for this product. A vast number of emails sent to professors are seeking information that can already be easily found. Before even sending the email, you should actually check the syllabus, your notes, and Canvas to see if your question has been answered there.

If you are writing to set up a meeting, you could say, “It says on the syllabus that your office hours are Tuesdays at 3pm. Could I come this Tuesday at 3:15?” This also shows that you thought about the whole thing for more than two seconds before deciding to take up their email-reading time.

Element #9: Super polite restatement of your request

If you need them to fill out a form, or contact someone on your behalf, or do something that requires more action than just answering your email, state that very clearly here. This helps them put it on their to-do list and get it done.

Element #10: Sign-off

If you’re not sure how to sign off an email, “Thank you” is nearly always appropriate. You can do “Best,” or “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” or whatever, but some form of thanks here does double duty as both sign-off and expression of gratitude.

*** Something to consider-

Spell out acronyms in emails unless it is common knowledge (ex. UPS, USPS) as that will help assure your readers find your email clear.

Why any of this matters

Learning how to craft professional emails is a skill you can take with you into the so-called real world. A courteous and thoughtfully constructed request is much more likely to receive the kind of response you want. You can use this same template when emailing your boss (or potential boss), a potential client, or really anyone who is not a friend or family member.