How to Write an Email to Me
This page is mainly intended for students, but anyone who want to write an email to me may find it helpful. I wrote this guide for two reasons:
(1) I receive more emails than you think, and my ability to skim and read between the lines is worse than you think. So if you want to contact me, especially if you want me to do something for you, this guide may help you.
(2) Academia has lots of implicit norms that you are expected to know, but people rarely think to explicitly teach it, unless they have personally experienced the bewilderment of arriving at a new community and not understanding many of the strange customs (read more about the so-called "hidden curriculum" in academia here). Having lived in many countries and navigated many spaces, it is my service to the community to at least explicitly communicate what I expect from an email to me.
If you are writing an email to ask me to do something for you, you might want to include the following in your email:
(a) Dear Jingyi (or some appropriate way to address me);
(b) Some pleasantries (optional);
(c) Who you are and where we (may) have met (if you suspect I may not know you well or at all), or any cute things you have encountered recently (if you suspect I know you well, optional);
(d) The nature of your request (new paragraph, or bold the request, if possible);
(e) When do you need the task to be done from me (bold the date, if possible);
(f) When do you need an email response from me informing you whether I can do the task (if your tasks is urgent, or if the task you request need longer to complete, and you'd like to know whether I can do it earlier; bold the date, if possible);
(h) Your sign-off.
Some notes on these components:
(a) It is fine to address me as Jingyi, or (if you find this weird) Dr. Wu or Dr. Jingyi. Do not address me as Ms./Miss/Mrs. or any other kind of gendered addresses--you will not get a response.
(b) Truly optional. Maybe you don't care at all if I had a good weekend or if my plants are doing well. But I am human, if you wish me good things, I may be in a better mood to respond.
(c) Sending cute things is truly optional. But I really like animal videos and plants.
(e) Here is what is reasonable per typical tasks:
If you are writing on behalf of an academic institution with resources, I would appreciate it if you compensate me for my labor, especially if you are inviting me for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) related activities, or if you are inviting me because there are not that many people in academia who look like me (read more on the so-called "minority tax" here).
(f) If what you are requesting is not in my job description, I might say no. But it doesn't hurt to ask. Even for urgent tasks, do not ever expect a response from me within 1 business day (I sometimes respond quickly, but that is not a norm). Typically requesting a response within 2-3 business days is fine. I will try my best to respond within the requested time. Note that I do not work on weekends, nor on Fridays during winter. I do not have my work email installed on my phone.
If you have sent an email to me written according to this guide, but you have not heard from me within the requested time, please kindly resend the email to me.
If you are writing an email to tell me how awesome I am, please just send it in whatever form you like! It is always a delight to receive such an email. I may not respond though (due to the sheer number of emails), but please know that I love receiving those emails.
Please also note that I write in an assertive and direct way. If you are startled to receive such an email from me, but not from a white man, you may want to take the implicit bias test.
This page is mainly intended for students, but anyone who want to write an email to me may find it helpful. I wrote this guide for two reasons:
(1) I receive more emails than you think, and my ability to skim and read between the lines is worse than you think. So if you want to contact me, especially if you want me to do something for you, this guide may help you.
(2) Academia has lots of implicit norms that you are expected to know, but people rarely think to explicitly teach it, unless they have personally experienced the bewilderment of arriving at a new community and not understanding many of the strange customs (read more about the so-called "hidden curriculum" in academia here). Having lived in many countries and navigated many spaces, it is my service to the community to at least explicitly communicate what I expect from an email to me.
If you are writing an email to ask me to do something for you, you might want to include the following in your email:
(a) Dear Jingyi (or some appropriate way to address me);
(b) Some pleasantries (optional);
(c) Who you are and where we (may) have met (if you suspect I may not know you well or at all), or any cute things you have encountered recently (if you suspect I know you well, optional);
(d) The nature of your request (new paragraph, or bold the request, if possible);
(e) When do you need the task to be done from me (bold the date, if possible);
(f) When do you need an email response from me informing you whether I can do the task (if your tasks is urgent, or if the task you request need longer to complete, and you'd like to know whether I can do it earlier; bold the date, if possible);
(h) Your sign-off.
Some notes on these components:
(a) It is fine to address me as Jingyi, or (if you find this weird) Dr. Wu or Dr. Jingyi. Do not address me as Ms./Miss/Mrs. or any other kind of gendered addresses--you will not get a response.
(b) Truly optional. Maybe you don't care at all if I had a good weekend or if my plants are doing well. But I am human, if you wish me good things, I may be in a better mood to respond.
(c) Sending cute things is truly optional. But I really like animal videos and plants.
(e) Here is what is reasonable per typical tasks:
- Sign a form: 2 business days.
- Read a draft paper: 3 weeks.
- Give a lecture or talk: at least 1 month, ideally 4 months.
- Meet with me: 2 weeks.
- Answer some clarificatory/admin questions from you/do some admin tasks for you (add you to a mailing list, etc.): 3 business days.
- Answer some contentful/research questions from you: 1 week (I may ask to meet with you to go over if an email is too complicated).
- Write a recommendation letter for you: 1 month.
If you are writing on behalf of an academic institution with resources, I would appreciate it if you compensate me for my labor, especially if you are inviting me for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) related activities, or if you are inviting me because there are not that many people in academia who look like me (read more on the so-called "minority tax" here).
(f) If what you are requesting is not in my job description, I might say no. But it doesn't hurt to ask. Even for urgent tasks, do not ever expect a response from me within 1 business day (I sometimes respond quickly, but that is not a norm). Typically requesting a response within 2-3 business days is fine. I will try my best to respond within the requested time. Note that I do not work on weekends, nor on Fridays during winter. I do not have my work email installed on my phone.
If you have sent an email to me written according to this guide, but you have not heard from me within the requested time, please kindly resend the email to me.
If you are writing an email to tell me how awesome I am, please just send it in whatever form you like! It is always a delight to receive such an email. I may not respond though (due to the sheer number of emails), but please know that I love receiving those emails.
Please also note that I write in an assertive and direct way. If you are startled to receive such an email from me, but not from a white man, you may want to take the implicit bias test.