Writing effective e-mail messages 1: The subject-line

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Writing effective e-mail messages 1: The subject-line

It is not every day that you write, or even work on, a research paper; however, you probably write e-mail messages every day, and many of them are important for your research. This post discusses the importance of writing good subject-lines for your e-mail messages.

Subject-lines are the equivalent to titles of research papers: just as you scan the titles of papers before deciding whether to read one, your correspondents will scan the subject-lines of e-mail messages in their in-boxes before deciding whether to click open a message, especially when it is from a stranger. This is why it is important that you write the subject- lines of your messages carefully. Here are a few tips.

Writing effective e-mail messages 1: The subject-line

Always use a subject-line.A blank subject-line typically suggests spam mail; such a message may not even make it to the in-box of your correspondent. Not using a subject-line is like not giving a title to your document. A good subject-line, on the other hand, may prompt your correspondent to read your message.

Keep the subject-line short.Short subject-lines will be displayed in full in the in-boxes. Kim Harrison, for good reasons, suggests an upper limit of 40 characters besides offering many other helpful tips in his article [1] titled "Carefully crafted email subject lines are vital for effective communication."

[1]http://bit.ly/wHtr4S

Writing effective e-mail messages 1: The subject-line

Avoid words or phrases or characters that are common in spam mails. Words such as cash benefits, dollars, or money; labels such as urgent, personal, and appeal; and characters such as the dollar sign and the exclamation mark - especially multiple exclamation marks - are often suspect and trigger ‘spam filters'. Also avoid writing subject-lines entirely in capital letters.

Use unique and informative subject-lines. Good subject-lines are specific: compare "Meeting today" and "Discussion on research budgets: 4 Jan. 2012 at 4 p.m.," and you will see for yourself the impact of specific subject-lines.

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