How do I write a good email?
To write a good email you first have to consider ‘who is this going to?’. If it is a professor, a boss, or an office you should make it more professional than casual. Begin with a greeting, “Hello” “Good evening/afternoon/morning” is a good start. If it is a professor you are emailing then you can always begin your greeting by saying “Hello Professor!” Or “Good Morning Professor” to ensure that you are being courteous. Then get to the point of your email, a lot of the time, a professor is really busy or the recipient has a lot of other emails to get to. After you type out the body or the main reason for emailing them, finish off the section by thanking them for their time, I like to say “Thank you for your time in reading my email and I look forward to hearing back!” This ending to an email is a good way to acknowledge their busy schedule and ensure that they will reply with what is needed. At the end of your email always close out with “Sincerely,” “Very Respectfully,” “Thank you,” or some other closing regard and then your name and UIN. A sample email is below! One last thing that is very important is to check your syllabus for their email policy!!!!!! Sometimes professors will not reply to your email if your question can be answered by reading the syllabus, others prefer a very specific subject line so they know which class you are in because a lot of them teach multiple sections at different days and times. Below I have added in a sample email to help tie it all together.
Hello Professor!
I wanted to know if we need to have three cited sources or four for our upcoming research essay? I read through the syllabus and the rubric and I cannot seem to find the amount of sources you would like. Thank you for your time in reading my email and I look forward to hearing back!
Very Respectfully,
Your Name
UIN: 5555555
