This week, you get to hear from a fellow undergraduate student. When she’s not in communication classes, Christina Quirk works at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. She provides helpful things to keep in mind when emailing a professor.

Emailing a professor with the appropriate language, content and structure can be tricky until you get the hang of it, but it is key to your academic success. It can lead to helpful paper feedback, letters of recommendation, networking connections and many opportunities you aren’t aware of yet. 

There are many ways to compose more effective and appropriate emails to your professors, but here are a few good ways to start.

Use an informative subject header. Include a subject that informs the professor what the email is about before they read through it more closely. Keep your professor’s time in mind when composing an email, as you don’t want them to have to search for what you are asking them. A proper subject line takes away the mystery.

Address with titles and greetings. Start off with a friendly salutation and use your professor’s appropriate title. Oftentimes, professors will establish how to address them either on the first day of class, on the syllabus or in their email signatures or Moodle announcements. It’s always a good idea to err on the side of formal rather than informal if you are unsure, and check the syllabus for their degree — for example, if they have a Ph.D. and M.D., refer to them as Dr.

It never hurts to include pleasantries. Including a line that wishes your professor well or creates a sense of common humanity is a good way to start your message on a positive note. A simple, “I hope you’re enjoying your weekend” or “I hope you’re having a good start to the semester” are both good ways to establish commonality and set the tone of your message. Similarly, when concluding your email, it’s appropriate to close with a salutation expressing some form of gratitude, well wishes or kind regards in order to provide a professional conclusion before signing your name below. 

Provide brief context. Identify who you are and your relation to your professor right at the beginning. Giving context can be helpful for your professor when they are answering a question or helping with an issue. Keep in mind that emails to your professor should provide context to make it easier for them to help you.

Keep it short and simple. While writing your email, keep in mind that your professors have many past and present students, and possibly several sections of the same course. Create a simple and concise message that gets your point across effectively so your professor doesn’t have to hunt for the purpose. 

Be patient when waiting for a response. Professors are busy people with full schedules, many job responsibilities beyond teaching and lives outside of the university, just like you. Allow 24 hours at the very least for them to respond before considering sending a follow-up “nudge” email, as these can come across negatively if sent too quickly. This means it is essential to be prepared — don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help.

Additionally, be sure to look through the syllabus or any class notes for the answer to your question before you email your professor. 

Many of these points are inspired by Laura Portwood-Stacer’s article on this topic, where she offers a template to visualize how an email to a professor might look. 

Christina Quirk is a communication major at OU.

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