Email Etiquette
Advice for Emailing Your Teachers
Why is Email Etiquette Important?
 Email is now a major aspect
of student-teacher interaction
 Both teachers and students
need to know how to
communicate clearly and
effectively via email
 It is important to know what
is and isn’t appropriate email
communication
 Students often think they
know how to email teachers.
You would be surprised,
however, by how often my
colleagues and I are
astonished by the content of
student emails. Before
emailing your other
professors or me, be sure to
follow the common-sense
rules outlined in this powerpoint.
Elements of Email Etiquette
 Basics
 Tone
 Attachments
 Complaints
 Good topics for email
 Bad topics for email
The Basics
 When emailing a teacher,
Example
 Joe Smith, MWF
8:00-9:00 a.m.
 Include a brief, yet
 Subject:
always include your full
name, class period or
section
informative subject line
ENG 101: Essay
#2 Proposal
The Basics
 Think twice about whether or not the content of your email
is appropriate for virtual correspondence - once you hit
“Send,” anyone might be able to read it.
 Keep the email brief
 Check for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors—
consider emails a form of professional correspondence
 Use an easy-to-read font
 Include appropriate greetings & closings (i.e. Dear Dr. Jones,
Best Wishes, etc.)
Tone
 Write in a positive tone
 When I complete the assignment versus If I complete the assignment
 Avoid using negative words
 Use smiles , winks ;-) and other symbols only when
appropriate—(I personally use these symbols and don’t mind if
you do, too. Other teachers, however, may dislike them.)
 Use contractions to add a friendly tone
 Consider that tone can be perceived differently in writing than in
face-to-face situations
Attachments
 When you are sending
attachments, include in the
filename your last name
and the title of the work
 Attached:
“Smith_Project3Proposal.doc”
 Only submit files using a
Microsoft Word document
 Consider including the
content of your document
in the body of your email
in case it cannot be opened
 Only submit attachments if
we have made prior
arrangements or if you are
experiencing extenuating
circumstances
Complaints
 Briefly state the history of the problem
 Explain attempts you made to resolve the issue
 Show why it is critical for your problem to be
resolved via email
 Offer suggestions on ways you think it can be
resolved or how you are willing to help
Good Topics for Email
 You should email me if:
 You have an easy question that can be answered in a
paragraph or less
 A question regarding assignment clarification
 You have an assignment that you have been invited to
submit via email
 To set up an office visit
 To share something cool you have read or done!
Bad Topics for Email
 You should not email me with:
 Submission of electronic documents without prior
permission unless there are extenuating circumstances
 Questions that are answered on the course syllabus, schedule,
handouts, or in-class
 Permission for an assignment extension without reasonable
cause (i.e. my alarm didn’t go off)
 Last-minute questions on assignments. (i.e. midnight before
an assignment is due)
Bad Topics for Email, Cont.
 Questions regarding missed in-class work or assignments
without having attempted to talk with a classmate first
 Topics that require continuous conversation
 Questions about grades (always see me in person or set up
a phone/online meeting)
 Questions about conference times
 Excuses
Responding to Emails
 I will always try to respond to emails within 24
hours of receipt
 I usually do not respond to emails late in the
evening or on Saturdays
 If my response does not clarify things for you, by
all means please follow-up!
Final Comments
 I enjoy communicating with students via email. Don’t be
afraid to send me an email, but do make sure that your
email topics are appropriate.
 I enjoy interacting with students and want you to visit
me before/after class and during my office hours. Avoid
substituting an email for face-to-face time.
 If you send me a message that constitutes a “bad” email
topic, I will likely not respond to you or refer to you the
appropriate course materials.
Now that you know the “ground-rules,” I look
forward to communicating with you via email!
Works Cited
 Adapted from Purdue Writing Lab
http://owl.english.purdue.edu