Dos and Don’ts of Emailing Professors

Drafting a professional email before sending it to a professor. Source: Anya Berkut, iStock by Getty Images

The start of a new semester brings both old and new students back to campus and back to classes. Being back in class inevitability means that emails are being sent back and forth between students and professors. Every student has to send emails to their professors but many of the incoming students this year may not know the etiquette of drafting those emails.

Compared to an email that you might send to a friend, an email that you send to a professor must be more mature and completely thought through. This is a beginner's guide to drafting emails to professors including the dos and don'ts with key advice to a successful and professional email.

Starting the top 10 dos and don'ts of emailing professors is to have a mature greeting. Many students might choose to start an email using a greeting such as: “yo,” “hey” or “what’s up.”. When writing an email to a professor you should replace these with: “good morning,” “good afternoon” or “hello *professor’s name.*”

Never use just your professor’s first name when addressing them in the email. Try to address your professor as “Professor” or “Dr.” or whatever your professor has told you to address them by. Using just their first name can be seen as rude and immature when writing to a professor so it is best to avoid it.

Make your emails as concise as possible. When you're writing to a professor you want to get to the point or ask your question as quickly and clearly as possible. This saves time for both you and your professor and can prompt a quicker response.

Proofread your emails before you send them. Spelling errors in your emails can be seen as a rushed email that isn’t thought through. This makes the email seem unprofessional.

Use a formal tone when writing. Emails to professors in almost every case aren’t casual. Because of this you should use a formal tone when writing and avoid abbreviations to achieve this.

Have a descriptive subject line. The subject line of your emails is what a professor will see first. To ensure that your email isn’t mixed in with the numerous other emails in your professor's inbox, have a descriptive line that will stand out.

Introduce yourself at the beginning of the email. It is typically a good idea to introduce yourself and say what class you are in so your professor can better address your question or concern.

Make sure your email is necessary before you send it. Often students may ask a question in an email that is answered simply by looking at the syllabus. Before you send an email, make sure your question or concern has not already been answered.

Try to not send last-minute emails. If possible send emails containing questions and concerns for things like assignments a good amount of time before the due date. Last-minute emails may seem rushed and unprofessional. 

Lastly, sign off your emails maturely. Signing off your emails is just as important as the greeting at the beginning. Use words such as: “thank you,” “sincerely” or “regards.”

Writing mature and professional emails might be very new to some students, and many of them have never been taught email etiquette. It takes practice and review to curate well-written emails that address your question or concern and prompt an email back that answers your question. This list of dos and don'ts can be applied to any email you write to make it a successful one.