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Writing Professional Emails
Created by: Cheryl Radeloff and Sarah Sifers
Funded by: Minnesota State University, Mankato College of Social and
Behavioral Sciences
Subject Line
• Always include a subject
• Be specific as possible
• Include class and section
• Examples– Re: Abnormal Psych Assignment– Re: Intro to Women’s Studies Section 01
Salutations
• Include a salutation
• Doctor or Professor unless told otherwise
• Avoid “Mrs.”
• Avoid slang
• Examples– Dear Dr. Radeloff:– Prof. Sifers,– NOT Hey Sarah
Addressing Emails
• Only include relevant people
• Be careful with “reply to all”
• Check to make sure the addresses are correct
Body of an Email
• Include an introduction• Use appropriate grammar and mechanics• Use active voice• Use paragraphs• Avoid all caps• Use a professional tone• Be concise• Use gender neutral language• Avoid possibly offensive comments• Avoid unnecessary attachments• Limit use of “urgent,” “important,” and “high priority”
Email Address
• Think about what your address suggests
• Examples:– [email protected]– [email protected]– NOT [email protected]
Wide Audience Emails & Spam
• Avoid– Spam– Chain letters– “Warnings”
• Do not forward confidential information from others
Additional Resources
• http://www.library.yale.edu/training/netiquette/ • http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_emailett.html• http://science.kennesaw.edu/~hmattord/email.htm • http://www.psych.ku.edu/psichi/EmailEtiquette.htm• http://www.egrad.com/index.cfm?action=story&iStoryID=322
