How to get academics/scholars to respond to email?

[hejduk]

Networking is one of those things we all hate, but we have to do... especially as academics. As a PhD student, I need to make contacts with established scholars in my field. So, how do you actually get scholars to return your emails?

I typically keep my email short, less than a paragraph, and include some information about myself, and ask them about their research:

_____

Dear Dr. Whomever:

I'm a PhD at University X doing research in this field. I have come across several articles of yours that involved my research area. May I inquire what you're currently working on?

Best,

Some worthless PhD student

____

Some will bite and email me back, others will tell me they're not interested, and others will just not respond. Have you had any luck getting academics to respond to your emails? Networking is the name of the game, but how do you do it when no one will respond!!

[Quantum Buckyball]

I think the best way to get an established scholar to reply back your email is to be sincere, and a sentence-long email just won't do it. You should first introduce yourself, which group you're in, what kind of projects you're currently working on, and why you're contacting the person.

Another way to get a person to reply back your email is to ask questions about their most recent publications and start from there. You need some kind of ice break first,

[CageFree]

I think that if I got an email like that I would delete it too (or send a snarky response). You're approaching someone out of the blue with a "what are you doing," which requires him or her to take time out of their schedule to send a detailed email to someone they don't know. I know it's not your intention to be rude, but it comes across like that. It also comes across as generic... you could have sent that to hundreds of professors. :/

I agree with the previous poster who said you need to break the ice a bit.... introduce yourself, explain what you're working on, and ask about something specific that they wrote. It doesn't have to be a grand question... just something that shows you are interested in their research and have read it.

In a way, you need to approach it like when you contacted people to get information during the application process.

[Hank Scorpio]

Given that I'm a lowly MA student, I had to go to a somewhat-external source for a good response for you. I'm blessed enough to have two parents that are among the top academics in their respective fields. My father is one of the most world-renowned writers on Research Ethics Review, and my mother is one of the top gerontologists, who was fortunate enough to study under Howard Becker. Anyway, I read them your question, and their response was to be genuine in your interest. When you write top academics, try not to have the email sound generic. They like it a lot if you've read their work, and can comment on it insightfully. The main thing is to not sound as though you're trying to network. Academic networking is best done in person..going to conferences, presenting papers, and sitting in on the sessions given by those among whom you wish to be know.

Also, they mentioned making the email more about interest in the research than what you're currently up to yourself; though it's still good to mention that. Just keep in genuine and research-related and you should be good to go. If they feel like you're doing it for networking, they will feel like a means to an end.

Hope this helps.

[Usmivka]

When I was applying to school, I used this approach:

For e-mail:

4-5 sentences max.

1. Greeting, who I am, why I am contacting them (applying to grad schools, looking for advisor, and like such and such about their work). One to two sentences here, no more.

2. Is this worth pursuing? i.e. are you looking for a grad student, would they need to come with funding or not? this is the most pertinent thing for both of you.

3. What I do, in brief. eg I have a background in using isotope and gas tracers of biological and physical processes in the surface ocean, and this seems related to your work on --- (even better if I could show I had my own ideas that fit into their work).

I think it is very important to point out here that many profs websites and papers are woefully out of date with what they are currently working on, so building a case about how excited you are about a specific project could actually hurt your chances vs someone who comes in with his/her own idea that the prof can get behind.

4. something to this effect: if I seem like I could be a fit, let me know and I'll send along my CV. If you like that let's talk by phone for 5 min.

End with contact info, and a thanks for your time.

2 weeks later, a phone call to them, if I haven't heard back already:

"Hi, I'm so and so, I wrote a couple weeks ago inquiring about whether you are looking for a grad student and I might fit the bill. Do you have time to talk now or sometime in the future? Let's set a time."

It never took more than that for me. But to be fair, I only contacted two people and was solicited by a third based on a rec from my undergrad advisor. This is brief, yes, but most PIs are super busy, and applciations season is also grant writing season for many, or time for teaching a class. I know from asking afterwards that people who wrote essays didn't get responses, not out of malice but because the profs thought they needed more time to read and answer well, and it got buried in the inbox. The same profs were much more comfortable with a quick reply to letter that they could read in a minute. All the details can wait until you both are on the same page about interest and ability to get into the program.

For what it is worth, other folks admitted ot my program who took the time to write a snail mail letter ALWAYS got a response. That seems to be the best way to show courtesy, not a Victorian-esque letter of introduction by e-mail.

PS. I think it is redundant to say you have read such and such paper of theirs--you wouldn't contact them if you didn't know what they were up to. You can show you know what they do by demonstrating interest in a project related to what they do. All the schmoozing and super details can wait for follow up letters, once you are both invested in the process.

Edited May 25, 2012 by Usmivka

[hejduk]

First, I appreciate all the inputs from all the responders here. Excellent, excellent feedback!

It seems as if we have to sides to this argument: longer, more detailed, or short, sincere emails. I personally went with the short and sweet, as based on my personal experience, it's what actually gets responses. Academics get tons of email everyday, so it seems that they have precious little time to read through paragraphs in an email.

In emailing, I tell them straight-up that I'm a PhD student, i'm interested in what they do, and get a point where I ask what they're working on, and if they are possibly attending conferences I plan on attending.

This whole process of emailing people is just so $#%^ frustrating, as we are supposed to share the knowledge we acquire, but academics are so overburdened with other tasks, that networking is not at the top of their priority list.

Here's to getting responses from academics. Thanks again guys!

[Hank Scorpio]

Just a quick thing that came to mind: the more you make it seem like what interests you is the research, and not the academics themselves, the better. But that's just my own opinion.

Best of luck!