Information
Email Etiquette
Communication with DCU Staff and Students
E-mail Correspondence:
Many interactions between students and between students and staff will occur over e-mail. E-mail can be a very efficient and effective means of communication and you should ensure that you regularly check your DCU e-mail account for important programme-related information; developmental opportunities, social events.
Students are expected to use e-mail in a professional and courteous manner and refrain from any comments which could be regarded as disrespectful or offensive. You should bear in mind that e-mails can be easily misunderstood and therefore it is important that the writer ensures the message conveys the intended tone (i.e. professional, friendly, courteous). Think of your correspondence over e-mail as practice for the work environment after university. Below are some useful tips for the effective use of e-mail communication.
Some General Tips for Writing Effective E-mails:
- Begin the e-mail by addressing the person you are writing to (e.g. 'Dear Susan/Hi Tom)'. It is impolite to begin an e-mail without a salutation
- In the body of the e-mail, state who you are (e.g. student in the AC123 module), the purpose of your e-mail, make a polite request, thank the receiver and sign off properly (e.g. kind regards, best wishes)
- Adopt a friendly and personable tone
- Do not write anything that you would not be happy for everyone to see
- Do not write anything that you would not say to the recipient's face
- Proof-read your e-mail before you send it. Do not give the impression that you do not wish to take the time to write properly
- Be careful with your user name or tagline on your e-mail ('lazysod' as a tagline may be amusing to friends, but is not appropriate if the email is sent to DCU staff or potential employers)
- Avoid text abbreviations such as 'b4', 'gr8' etc. in an e-mail
- When you receive a response to a query it is polite to send a return e-mail to thank the receiver for responding
- Before sending an e-mail, consider whether you could find out the answer to the query yourself (e.g. from the Registry website)
- Remember to include an informative "Subject Title" in the subject line box
- It is not appropriate to send the SAME general query to a number of different people at the same time. This leads to duplication of work. If you need advice on who to address a query to, mail student.support@dcu.ie.
- Be realistic in your expectations of a reply to your email. An acceptable turnaround time, depending on the time of the year, may be up to 3 days.
