Email etiquette is a funny old thing. It’s not something that’s static and it is something that can be quite confusing. Some significant things can vary from company to company, industry to industry and it definitely varies from country to country! There are some differences expectations in different English speaking countries so, as I am a Brit, I have focused this piece on British etiquette and email writing styles. If you are communicating with people in other countries, please be aware there may be some differences!
General Emails
British Council – Writing Emails This section of the website has several units on writing emails. Every unit is worth looking at but unit 9 specifically addresses a few simple points on etiquette.
BBC – Email Factsheet The BBC has a useful little table that is easy to print out and use as a quick reference guide. It covers both formal and informal emails.
Business Emails
Plain English – Business Emails This is one of my favourite websites for tips on written English. This particular page has some really good pointers for formal, business emails. You may think that some of the points made are very obvious but you might be surprised at what some people consider acceptable!
Business Email Etiquette This is a very formal guide on business email etiquette. It is excellent and makes very good points about using the most formal options, until or unless you know anything else is acceptable.
Academic Emails
Guide to emails in an academic environment This is a piece a written by an academic at Birmingham University. It is both very useful and quite funny!
Bristol University’s Guide to Emails This is a more formal guide, and set of instructions, aimed at undergraduates who may be new to writing emails in a formal setting. It is useful for non-native speakers in an academic environment. There are differences in acceptable styles between business and academic settings.
Talking English Too 