Follow subject line setting requirements that your professor assigns. Keep in mind that your professor might receive hundreds of emails each day, and the required subject settings identify your email as a priority for class credit. Your classmates also will appreciate this courtesy. Be sure to check with your professor about any variations to these conventions.

• All mail to the professor or the class must include the following items in order:
  • An appropriate descriptive short topic unless one is assigned
  • Your last name initial cap (for example, PSmart)
  • Course information no spaces (for example, eng112-77)
• For example, Pat Smart's welcome message for Math 204-77 and Humanities 105-77 would have this subject line:
  Welcome PSmart mth204-77 and Welcome PSmart hum105-77
• Note the spacing of the subject lines, necessary for email filters to file your submissions correctly so that your professor will receive the message and you will receive credit.
• Most class activities have designated subject headings for students to use. Adhere to these exactly to ensure credit.
• For other email, you determine the topic part of the subject heading but should still include your lastname and the courseinfo format at the end.
• When you determine your own subject line, be sure it is short but accurately indicates the topic. Instead of "help" use "quadratic equation help.

Be sure to check with your professor about any variations to these conventions. Because email often arrives with no identification about the sender other than an email address, your professor and classmates need for you to include clear identification of the sender as a signature at the end of the email message.

• All mail to the professor or the class must have a signature at the end according to criteria the professor designates. A typical convention is the following pattern in one line if possible, using the first name you would like your classmates to use when they communicate with you:
  Firstname Lastname <email@address> classinfo

For example, Pat Smart's signature block would begin:
Pat Smart <smartpat@beach.net> psy201-77a

or if Pat prefers to be called Patty:
Patty Smart <smartpat@beach.net> psy201-77a

• You may include additional information in the next line of the signature, for example, alternate email addresses and phone numbers—but keep it fairly short. Most email software allows you to automate the signature block so that you do not have to type it every time. Check your software help files for instructions.

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Be sure to check with your professor about any variations to these conventions. Unless the professor and every student in the class are using the same email software, it is advisable not to use any fancy formatting. Most software has a way to turn off formatting. Most basic email software does not operate like word processors, so subsitutions are made for formatting features.

• In the body of email messages, do not attempt to double space. Single space all messages, and add an extra space between lines to distinguish paragraphs. Keep paragraphs short to improve readability.
• If you are copy-pasting from a word processor, you will lose some or all of your formatting such as automatic page numbers and centering. Therefore review the email message body and make appropriate adjustments before you send it.
• Proofread every message before you send it to be sure it is readable and that it is addressed to the right recipient in the "To" and "CC" lines.
• Some email is informal and requires no special courtesies in the message body. However, sometimes an email message is substituting for a "formal" paper, in which case follow the conventions your professor assigns. Check with your professor about these special conventions.
• Unless otherwise specified, use no fancy format features such as bold or italic or colors in your email messages. If your email is capable of formatting, turn such features off because not all your readers will be able to read them.
  • Instead, to designate italics or underlining when necessary in "formal" writing, use the _underscore_ mark before and after.
  • Some people use asterisks or quotation marks to add emphasis and substitute for *bold* type.
  • Do use standard quotation marks for "quoted items."
• Use email attachments only when assigned or required and follow the attachment formats provided by your professor or these suggestions for Attachments.

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