Tips for academic emails

Carl Mummert
Marshall University

Five essentials

Use your university email account.
Use a meaningful subject line. "Project 1 in MTH 229" is much better than "Math project". When I look at my list of emails, the first think I see is the name and subject line.
Use a reasonable salutation. "Dear Dr. Mummert", "Dear Professor Mummert", "Hello Professor Mummert", or some variation. Avoid "Hi" and "Hey", they're too informal.
Write in full sentences and paragraphs. An email is a short letter, not a long text message.
Sign your email with a closing and your name. "Thanks, Jane" or "Sincerely, Darius".

Ask each professor how they'd like you to address them. Do they prefer "Dr.", "Professor" or somthing else? Last name only, first name only, or something else? If one student asks on the first day of class, everyone will know. Different professors have very different preferences.
Pay attention to tone. Electronic communication has much less context. The reader can't see your face or hear your tone of voice. Watch out for phrasing that could be misinterpreted, or for requests that might sound like demands.
Put your class info below your signature. I really like this idea from Michael Leddy. Include the section number from your schedule as well.
Sincerely,

Darius Blockett
MTH 229.102

This avoids awkward sentences like “I am a student in your 9:00am MTH 229 class.”
Do your own research. Look at the course syllabus and Google before sending your email. Use your email to ask for more details.