Your tone cannot be heard in an email. Be mindful of that.

Have a signature that includes contact information. If you don’t already have one, make one.

Take advantage of the subject line! Use this as a way to indicate the purpose of the email.

Keep your emails brief and to the point.

Proofread your emails to professors and other students! This includes both spelling and grammar. Little grammar and spelling mistakes make you look seriously unprofessional or that you just don’t care.

E-mail is forever. Once you send it, you can’t take it back.

Email goes where it’s told. Double-check whom you’re sending it to.

Use salutations, such as “Dear Professor.”

Avoid the use of emojis and abbreviations you’d normally use while texting. Avoid the “LOLs” and the “HAHAs” Be professional!

“In business, spelling and grammar matter. You are judged by what you write. Students should get used to it and practice now. As for bad e-mails? Don’t ever ask an instructor if you missed anything important when you failed to show up to class. Because the answer is yes.” –Paul Craven, Department Chair of Computer Science and Associate Professor of Computer Science