Which of the following is an example of a proper salutation in an email to an instructor?

Emailing Staff and Faculty

As a student at Marquette, you are provided with an Marquette email address. You should use your Marquette email address for all university correspondence. Establishing correspondence with faculty and staff is vital to your academic career. Messaging your professor with your official Marquette email address will ensure that your professor knows who you are. It will also ensure that your message does not go into a spam folder. Below, you will find a sample email that can help you as you compose emails in the future.

Sample Email

Subject: PHIL 1001 Writing Assignment 5 - Plato’s Philebus 

Salutation: Dear Professor/Dr. __________,

Body: I had a question regarding the PHIL 1001 Writing Assignment 5 on Plato’s Philebus that is due next Tuesday, February 12. I was wondering about the citation style for our references. Are we to use MLA or Chicago Style?

Closing: Thanks, Jane Doe

Tips for Composing Email

Subject: Include a subject line that briefly explains what your email is about. Do not leave the subject area blank because many professors do not respond to emails with no subject.

Salutation: Include a salutation. “Dear,” “Good morning/afternoon/evening,” or “Hello” Professor X is appropriate. (If a graduate student is teaching your course, or if you are writing to a teaching assistant, use Mr. or Ms./Mrs. in place of Dr., unless they tell you otherwise.) Never use “Hey,” “Yo,” or “Whatup.” Some professors will even consider “Hi” as too informal, so you are better off using formal salutations.

Body: If what you are writing is something you would write in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a text message, you should rewrite it. Your emails should be appropriate and respectful. Write clear messages that effectively communicate your question or point, and do not use any profane language.

Closing: Ending your email with “Best/Best wishes,” “Sincerely,” “Thank you/Thanks,” or other respectful closings is appropriate. Always sign your email with your full name.

Other tips: Always proofread your message before you send it. Make sure your spelling and punctuation are correct. Avoid spelling abbreviations — ty, np. When you receive a response, write back to thank them or confirm that you received their message.

Emailing a faculty member can be intimidating, especially if you don’t know them very well.  Getting an email started can be the hardest part of reaching out.  Thankfully, there are a few guiding rules that can help you start off on the right foot!

• Proper salutation
  • Always start out your email with a polite “Dear” or “Hello” followed by your professor’s name/title (Dr. XYZ, Professor XYZ, etc.).  If you’re not sure what their proper title is, using “Professor” followed by their last name is almost always a safe bet.
  • Tip: If you want to know their proper title, check the class syllabus!
• Introduce yourself
  • Even if your professor knows who you are, it can never hurt to give a brief introduction.  Simply giving your preferred name, year, major, and the course you’re enrolled in can provide a great deal of context.
• Use correct grammar and spelling
  • An email is more formal than a text or message on social media, so be sure this is reflected in your writing (no abbreviations/acronyms).  Be sure not only to use spelling/grammar check, but also proofread the email.  You can even ask a friend or roommate to give it one final read-through.
• Use a formal closing
  • Conclude your email with a closing, such as “Best regards”, “Sincerely”, or “Thank you” followed by your name.
  • Tip: Set up a signature on your Purdue email account that include your full name, major, and intended graduation year. To learn how to do this, click here.

Example Email to a Professor

Dear Professor Smith,

My name is Emma Jones and I am a sophomore in your Tuesday/Thursday General Physics Class.  I am writing because in class yesterday you mentioned having some open positions in your research lab.  I found the summary of your project very interesting, and I would like to learn more and possibly talk to you about joining the lab.  Is there a time in the coming weeks that we could meet?

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Best regards,

Emma
Emma Jones
Student ID: 123456
Applied Physics, Class of 2022

““When it came time to choose my path after high school, I was lucky enough to have a support system that allowed me the space and resources needed to nurture my strengths. As an undergraduate student, I chose to attend an institution with a small student-faculty ratio. During this time, I had a faculty member serve, as both my personal and professional mentor, and I believe it was this level of personal attention that truly helped shape my goals and my perspective on life. So much of why I joined this profession was to recreate this level of community at a larger institution because I, first hand, have seen the impact that forging meaningful relationships has on our student’s sense of belonging and ultimately their general success.” ”

-Sanjana Dey

What are some good traits of a good subject line in an email to an instructor?

Which link on the navbar will take to you to the resource site for online students?