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How do I email a university professor

dont want to sound stupid
(edited 6 years ago)
Start Formal (Dear Professor Smith) then wait and see how he signs his email back and then address him by that.
i.e. if he signs off with 'Regards, John' then address him as John.
Most academic staff I know hate being addressed by their titles and much prefer to be addressed by their first name.
Assuming Pro. Smith offered you the placement:

Dear Professor Smith,

I would like to start by thanking you for this wonderful work shadowing opportunity at X university.

I am emailing you to finalise some detail regarding this...

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Assuming Pro. smith didn't offer you the placement, but is to be your main point of contact regarding it:

Dear Professor Smith,

I have been informed by a member of the admin team to contact you regarding work shadowing. I'm not sure how much you know about this matter, but I have been offered a work shadowing opportunity by NAME and have been asked to finalise some details with you...

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That's what I would do, but others would do differently. Keep it formal. Don't start lol'ing half way through the email :K:
Sadly, some of them think they are. NEVER, ever, assume that someone doesnt take their academic title very seriously until you are totally certain of that.
Then when he replies play follow the leader.

If he starts the email with 'Hi [name]' then start your next email with hi.

If he starts with 'Dear...' continue to use Dear

If he doesn't start with Hi or Dear or anything, and simply starts the email, do the same in the next email.

Again do this for the ending.

If he ends with 'John', use the name John. If his email ends with one of those automatic signatures, then use the name in that.

If he uses 'Hi' then you can of course say 'Hello'- if he ends with 'Thanks' you can use 'Regards' or 'Best Regards' etc.

If he asks for a read receipt, accept it so he knows you've read the email. Try to reply shortly after reading it.

If you need more time to reply (ie you need to find something else out) then let him know by saying something like 'I don't have that information to hand, so I will need to find out for you. I will let you know tomorrow/Tuesday/Wednesday (etc.)'. However if he says 'If you can find that information and get back to me that would be great' then you don't need tell him you will reply a while later.

Sorry if I sound like i'm being pedantic but I find it's much easier to copy the style of the other person when emailing someone, especially when they are 'higher up' than you (if you get what I mean).

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