Email Etiquette

[tarsuc]

How do you guys send emails to faculty or important people?

In the first email we put the name, designation, etc on the top left corner of the mail, but do we have to do the same in all the subsequent replies in the email chain too?

possible dumb qn, but just wondering whats the correct way.

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[sunshinefl]

How do you guys send emails to faculty or important people?

In the first email we put the name, designation, etc on the top left corner of the mail, but do we have to do the same in all the subsequent replies in the email chain too?

possible dumb qn, but just wondering whats the correct way.

Depends on how well I know them, how formal they are in the email, etc. In the first email I always default to "Dear Dr. X," and then follow their lead after that. Might switch to just "Dr. X," "Hi Dr. X," or no greeting at all depending on what our relationship is and the responses they are giving. Always be at least as formal as they are. It never hurts to stick to "Dear Dr. X."

I always continue to use “Good (insert time of day) Dr. XXX,” no matter how many emails or how informally they reply to me. Doesn’t matter if they shorten my name to a nickname I don’t use, reply with a 5 word phrase, use zero grammar or punctuation, and sign with their first name, I still continue the same greeting.

 

[aldol16]

As always, it depends on how familiar you are with the other person. It's a good rule to always err on the side of being more professional than being too informal. If you're closer with them, it's probably okay to start the first email out with Hi Dr. _____ and then just launch into subsequent emails. But if you're not that close or have doubts about how close you are, then you should start each email with Hi Dr. ______.

If you're not close at all/it's the first contact ever, you should probably start with Dear Dr._____ as it's more formal.

 

[tarsuc]

Thanks a lot for the replies.

So im guessing, using "Dr. ____ MD,
Dept of ____,
____ University. at the top of the first email is enough, and not in any of the subsequent replies?

Or does nobody use it even in the first email anymore (outdated)?

 

[evilbooyaa]

Huh? Are you sending an e-mail by including that persons professional title at the very beginning of the first e-mail you send them? That to me is more of like a formal letter than an e-mail.

You need to sign your e-mail so they know what your qualifications are. If you're cold-emailing them, hopefully you already know what their qualifications are.

Starting the first e-mail with "Dear Dr. X" or "Hello Dr. X" is fine in my book. Former may be preferred for more formal requests.

 

[tarsuc]

Huh? Are you sending an e-mail by including that persons professional title at the very beginning of the first e-mail you send them? That to me is more of like a formal letter than an e-mail.

You need to sign your e-mail so they know what your qualifications are. If you're cold-emailing them, hopefully you already know what their qualifications are.

Starting the first e-mail with "Dear Dr. X" or "Hello Dr. X" is fine in my book. Former may be preferred for more formal requests.

So Dear Dr___, or Hello Dr. ____ is the first line in the email, whoever the person you're sending to.

Oh crap. dont know what I had been doing all this while, writing emails like formal letters.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Yes. I don't think it's a huge deal what you did, just confused.

 

[Raney Schauer]

You,

State your business.

Respectfully,

Me

Don't overthink it. An email should be lightweight, easy to quickly get through. Respect their inbox and their time. There's a lot of BS in there, don't add to it with an excess of ponderous sophistry.

Using "Dear" connotes a preexisting friendly relationship. Use it for personal correspondence only.

"Hello" is right out. Don't do that.

"Dept of _____

________ University"? Pretty sure the recipient knows where he/she works.

Dr. ________ M.D. is redundant. You don't use the M.D. addressing them, they use it in their sig block. You just say "Dr. Soandso".

Also, don't assume, The addressee might could be a D.O. and whatever you saw was a misprint or just leaving it M.D. for the laypersons of the world. There might be other titles afterward (Ph.D, MSW, MBA, MPH) that you weren't aware of, so you run the risk of being incomplete and appearing ignant.

All that formal letter block stuff is intended for letters, particularly when the recipient might have staff (secretary, AA, interns, etc) that opens mails for them and look to see how to sort and prioritize your particular missive.

 

[Donald Juan]

Make sure whenever you use exclamation points or question marks you put at least 2 and add as many as necessary to demonstrate the importance of what you are saying. Also note that outlook will allow you to change a colon-half parenthesis to an actual smiley, so that means you should be using it.

 

[mistafab]

My first email is always so formal that it makes their eyes bleed.

From there, it quickly degenerates into 2 word responses and “likes” instead of response emails.

 

[Newyawk]

I have always wondered about this. I always start with "dear dr" unless i know them personally then i say "hi dr". It feels weird being so formal and then getting a response with no address (maybe a hi newyawk) and then signed with initials.

And i disagree, i think you definitely can be too formal. Ive seen some classmates email correspondence and its painfully awkward with how formal it is

 

[Raney Schauer]

Bottom line:

Don't write anything bearing your name that you wouldn't want graded or used as evidence.

 

[Groy]

My philosophy is to always write as if your email will be published in tomorrow's newspaper.

Avoid colloquialisms, idioms, or slang that presumes a friendly relationship. End correspondence by thanking the faculty for their time and wishing them well.

 

[Newyawk]

My philosophy is to always write as if your email will be published in tomorrow's newspaper.

Avoid colloquialisms, idioms, or slang that presumes a friendly relationship. End correspondence by thanking the faculty for their time and wishing them well.

Exhibit A

Just painful

 

[Microshaft]

Dear Dr. Homey G,

I am writing with regards to the Medical School Opportunity and whether I can get a fist bump from you in front of all the gunners in the classroom.
Many thanks.

Best Regards,
Baller Baller

 

[Professional Student]

Thanks a lot for the replies.

So im guessing, using "Dr. ____ MD,
Dept of ____,
____ University. at the top of the first email is enough, and not in any of the subsequent replies?

Or does nobody use it even in the first email anymore (outdated)?

Just a heads up for everything outside of letters and emails as well, using “Dr.” and then the post-name degree initials at the same time is incorrect grammar. You always have to pick one or the other. Physicians almost always use M.D. because everyone knows what that is and there’s a lot of easily achieved Dr.s out there. I do occasionally see both used at the same time on signs for chiropractic businesses, which is just another reason why it’s incorrect lol.

 

[Raryn]

Thanks a lot for the replies.

So im guessing, using "Dr. ____ MD,
Dept of ____,
____ University. at the top of the first email is enough, and not in any of the subsequent replies?

Or does nobody use it even in the first email anymore (outdated)?

Just keep it simple.

At the beginning of the first email, I just go

Hello Dr. Smith,

Or even just

Dr. Smith,

You don't need to put Dr. Smith's title at the beginning. He knows his own title. And you can't put both the MD and the Dr. title. One or the other, and in this context it's almost always Dr.

I also sign all my emails with

Raryn Lastname, MD
Title
University of X.

Before I graduated medical school, it would be Raryn Lastname and then on the next line would be MS1, MS2, whatever.

 

[Groy]

Exhibit A

Just painful

Different styles I guess. I don't see my suggestion as being formal so much as it is straight to the point. With the terse, no-nonsense responses I typically get from faculty members, I assume that most of them don't have time or interest in engaging in chit-chat or friendly banter. Not to say that I'm not friendly, but no way is it ever "painfully awkward".

 

[Treebeard]

I usually say Hi Dr. ____


If it's a long exchange with someone I know relatively well I may just not do a greeting and answer their question.