A student guide to composing professional e-mails
Satyavrata Samavedi
Subject-line:
The cardinal rule with e-mail composition is to ask yourself how the recipient will perceive your message. After composing your e-mail, read through it as though you were the recipient and ask yourself if the e-mail is Concise in length, Organized in form, Unambiguous in content and Polite in tone (the COUP rule).
PS: For comments/feedback related to the contents on this page, please write to samavedi [at] che.iith.ac.in
- A carefully crafted subject-line is critical: recipients will use it to assess the gist of your message before opening the e-mail.
- Subject-lines should be brief. Omit conjunctions, unimportant verbs and redundant words.
- Subject-lines should be information-dense. E.g., E-mail etiquette discussion: 31st March, 10 AM, Room 420.
- Avoid vague and uninformative subject-lines. E.g., Requesting your valuable time to discuss something.
- The word “regarding” or the shortened "reg"/“regd” is superfluous in the subject-line.
- Do not leave the subject-line empty.
- Every e-mail should begin with a salutation. The nature of the salutation depends on the relationship you share with the recipient.
- The most common salutation for professional e-mails is “Dear Ms./Mr. LastName” or “Dear Sir” / “Dear Madam”. “Dear FirstName” may be used when you know the recipient personally and/or when the recipient is at the same level as you (E.g., a fellow student). Addressing people on a first-name basis is more accepted in certain cultures than others. Please check what is appropriate in your professional work environment.
- If the recipient is a professor, “Dear Professor LastName” or “Dear Dr. LastName” are most preferred. “Dear Sir” and “Dear Madam” work just as well, but "Respected Sir" / "Respected Madam" may be avoided. Do not use “Dear FirstName” unless (s)he has specifically asked you to.
- The generic “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To whom it may concern” should be used only when you are writing to an email id where you are unsure who the recipient is. This salutation is typically used when writing to generic e-mail ids. E.g., [email protected]
- The salutation should be followed by a comma (standard) or a colon (less common but formal).
- Multi-colored text in a professional e-mail is best avoided. This rule applies to the entire text including your signature.
- “Greetings” or “Good morning/evening” at the beginning of the e-mail may be avoided. Directly begin the body of the e-mail with your message.
- When writing to faculty who do not know you personally and/or faculty who work outside your institution, begin the body of the e-mail with a simple introduction. E.g., My name is ABC, and I am currently a X-th year Ph.D. student in the Department of Y at Z University.
- Endeavor to write short and focused e-mails. The primary intent of your e-mail should be clear within the first few sentences.
- Write grammatically correct sentences that provide unambiguous information. Use a grammar/spelling checker.
- When composing a long e-mail (E.g., describing data/protocols), dedicate specific paragraphs for sub-topics. If appropriate, use bulleted lists to help the recipient sift through your text.
- When requesting, always use “please” or “kindly”. Be as specific as possible with your request. If your request is time-sensitive, indicate a specific deadline. E.g., I’d greatly appreciate it if you can send me the revised document by 5 PM Friday. Do not be unreasonable with the timeframe for your deadline.
- Attachments are meant to be attached. Check how documents render after attaching. Some e-mail clients can distort editable attachments.
- Avoid non-standard abbreviations. E.g., PFA. Also avoid emojis and internet slang.
- End your e-mail appropriately. Standard closing phrases include “Regards” (for most professional e-mails), “Best wishes” (for a warmer vibe), “Sincerely” (for job applications), “Thank you” (for requests) and “Thank you in advance for your time and support” (also for requests).
- Do not use “Please do the needful” or “Please revert”. The former is a non-standard phrase while the latter is erroneously used to mean “Please respond”. Also, avoid “Please respond asap”.
- Sign at the end of every e-mail. A signature (i.e., your name) demonstrates a clear intent that you are willing to take responsibility for the contents of the message. Sign as you would like to be addressed. An unsigned e-mail or worse, a “Sent from my eyePhone” note without your name, will come across as unprofessional.
- Pre-set signatures are a useful way to provide your contact information to a recipient. Such signatures typically include your full name, highest degree (or alternatively, degree currently pursued), primary affiliation, e-mail id and optionally, a phone number. Avoid signatures that provide your entire bio-data. Regardless of whether you choose to include a pre-set signature or not, end the e-mail with your name.
- Avoid quotes or wisecracks in your signature. If you wish to include them, absolutely avoid:
- Preachy phrases (E.g., Please think of the environment before printing this e-mail.)
- Sentences that exhibit personal beliefs (E.g., I support the right of xxx to xxx.)
- Mis-attributed quotes or fancy-sounding platitudes (E.g., No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.)
- Provide the recipient at least 48 hours to respond if you do not interact with him/her on a regular basis. Depending on the relationship you share with the recipient, a (polite) reminder is usually acceptable after 48 hours of not receiving a response. If your request is urgent and time-sensitive, append "Important" or "Urgent" in the subject-line.
- Do not use a software/plugin to track if the recipient has read your e-mail. It is not only unprofessional but is also a violation of the recipient's right to his/her privacy.
The cardinal rule with e-mail composition is to ask yourself how the recipient will perceive your message. After composing your e-mail, read through it as though you were the recipient and ask yourself if the e-mail is Concise in length, Organized in form, Unambiguous in content and Polite in tone (the COUP rule).
PS: For comments/feedback related to the contents on this page, please write to samavedi [at] che.iith.ac.in