How to write an email
As someone who worked in the corporate world for over ten years, I can tell you that email writing is an art form. Why?
Because a short and clear email signals to the reader that you are thoughtful and intelligent.
Sounds nice, right?
However, email writing is generally not taught and sometimes there’s the assumption that because you use computers, you must know how to effectively word an email.
The reality is that the workplace requires you to be skilled in expressing information and instructions with a reasonable level of detail, to many people at once. If you do this badly, you’ll look unprofessional and have an inbox full of follow-up questions.
The good news is that university is the perfect place to master the art of email writing.
You can start practising writing emails to our academics and professional staff by following the advice in this article. I hope the next few minutes of reading will save you from hours of frustration.
Let’s get started by introducing you to email writing basics that will increase the chances of a quick and clear reply.
Tone and context are everything
Tone is the emoji of the email writing world as your choice of words can make your reader feel a certain way (or many ways).
The key difference between your choice of words in an email to an academic and in a chat message to your friends, is formality.
Academic staff emails are more formal because you are communicating with someone in their workplace and it’s also a sign of respect.
Considering that you are emailing an academic to ask a question, you should add context to make yourself as clear as possible. This starts with a short and informative subject line, which is the field between the email address and where the message is typed into the email body.
Dont use:
Subject question for you
Try:
Subject MDIA1002 Assignment 1 help
Include the course code and a brief description of the content you need help with in the subject. This helps the academic so they can quickly grasp what is going on.
In the message, using language that is easy to understand and gets to the point in two sentences will make life easier for you. We’ll get to an example of what I’m talking about in the next part.
💁🏼♀️ Pro tip: Use emojis sparingly, one smiling emoji could send a positive impression, but with two or more emojis your email can look unprofessional or distracting.
Greeting and salutations
When you write an email to an academic for the first few times, remember to include their title. For example, start with ‘Hello Dr Kim’ or ‘Hello Professor Syed’. We often react well to others acknowledging our achievements and it’s no different with academic staff. Your academics have worked hard … for years … to earn their title.
Most academic staff will let you know how to address them, and you might end up using a more casual tone like ‘Hello Kim’.
Academic titles
Let’s take a moment to explore some of the academic titles you will come across.
Dr in front of a name indicates the person has a doctorate degree (PhD) which is the highest postgraduate achievement a person can earn. A professor is a person who has achieved the most senior academic rank. Most professors hold PhDs, but most of those with a PhD are not Professors! Using the correct title is best practice.
💁🏼♀️ Pro-tip: To find the title of your academic and where their office is located you can refer to their email signature.
If you don’t have this information you can search via the University staff directory on the website Staff Directory | Home (adelaide.edu.au) https://www.adelaide.edu.au/directory
Capital letters in an email can look like this to the recipient. Instead, think about creative ways to use words that will emphasise your meaning.
What’s the word count?
Let’s take a moment to pause, breathe … and think about our question.
I find that by asking how I would like someone to ask me the question can really clarify my meaning.
Another technique is to put yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Imagine what it must be like to work as an academic. They are likely undertaking studies in specialist research, organising classes and resources, marking assignments and tests, and communicating with hundreds of people at UoA.
If an academic sounds busy, it’s because they are. Students are busy too and the best way to help each other is with emails that get to the point quickly and as politely as possible.
Provide academics with the appropriate amount of detail by letting them know the classes and assignments you are referring to. If you have more than one question, use dot points – it looks organised, easier to read and you can get specific (which helps you learn how to clarify your meaning and improve your writing overall).
Don’t say: Hey, I need help with the analysis part of the assignment.
Try:
Hello Dr Kim,
I am in your Tuesday tutorial at 3pm in Schulz 407. We spoke briefly after class yesterday about the first assignment — I am hoping to analyse the Linus Tech Tips YouTube channel. I have a couple of questions.
Firstly, (insert question)
Thank you,
(insert your first and last name)
(insert your student number)
Being polite, prompt, and using accurate punctuation and grammar matters in formal writing because it matters to your readers.
Response times
Many academics manage their inboxes using a system called triaging (you know what I’m talking about Health and Medical students). For the rest of us, triaging refers to assessing the urgency of an email request.
Once you have sent your email, you can expect a reply within 48 hours or a couple of workdays. This time will (naturally) vary from academic to academic, however, it’s a reasonable guide. This timeframe helps academics efficiently manage their workload.
How urgently do you need a response? Glad you asked, let’s explore urgent.
If you need a response earlier than 48 hours, then you can consider it urgent. (Is this a need or just your preference? Think carefully here). If this is the case, place the word urgent in the subject line, just don’t use CAPS — no one wants to be shouted at.
Try not to send an urgent email on Friday, because academics need a break on weekends, just like you.
A CEO once told me that, “poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine”. Tough lesson.
Special thanks to Dr Kim Barbour Senior Lecturer from the Department of Media for access to these teaching materials about email writing for our whole student community to learn from.