Skip to Main Content

Research and Communications (Brown and Lepp)

This guide is primarily for use by 8th grade research students but contains helpful information for all students.

How to Compose an Email at MBA

SENDING AN EMAIL

Emails are an important way that you communicate your intelligence and your respectfulness to others.  

Address the email to the receiver. Is another person mentioned in the email, and they need to also receive this information? You will add their address on the cc: field. Their address will be visible to the person receiving the email. As an example, I could be sending an email to Mrs. Jones about an upcoming party, and I mention the party will be at Mrs. Smith's home. It is appropriate to send the email to Mrs. Jones and cc: Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Jones will see that Mrs. Smith also received this email. 

Are you sharing the email with another person but don't want that to be known to the receiver? Use bcc: and the other person's address. This hides from the "To" receiver the fact that the bcc'd person received the email. An example could be that you need to address a sensitive topic with the receiver, but someone else also needs this information. If you were to send an email to your friend about his cheating on a test, and bcc: Mrs. Cobb, Mrs. Cobb receives the email but your friend would be unaware of that because she was bcc'd and therefore not showing on his received email. 

An email's Subject line should specifically answer, what is this email going to be about?

Greeting - think of the context of this email, is it being sent to a friend and can be more casual, or is it being sent to your teacher? An email to a friend could begin with "Hi Sam," but if going to a teacher, you must use the more formal "Dear Dr. Smith" or "Dear Mrs. Jones" every time. 

In your message, be concise, use complete sentences, then make a conclusion ("Thank you" or "I am looking forward to hearing from you") and sign your name to the email.

RECEIVING AN EMAIL

Any email you receive from a faculty or staff member that is specifically sent to you, and not as a part of the entire class or entire school, MUST be responded to promptly and politely. Ignoring an email from a teacher by not responding to it can result in demerits from that teacher.