Emailing a Professor About Cheating (7+ Things to Remember in 2024)
Cheating in an exam is very common and at the same time is wrong. Many students cheat in their exams and score much higher than the students who perform on their own. In such a scenario you might want to tell your professor about it but are not sure how to do it. One of the ways to tell your professor is through writing and email. Therefore here we will help you to know what are the things that you must remember while emailing a professor about cheating.
Quick Takeaways
1. Subject line
- Following are the things that you need to take care of while emailing the professor about cheating-
2. Proper salutation
3. Introduction
4. Context
5. Adding up proofs
6. Do not add any emojis
7. Thanking words
8. Ending the email
9. Proofreading
10. Wait for the response
However, you must read till the end so that you do not miss any important facts related to emailing the professor about cheating.
What are the things you need to remember while emailing a professor about cheating?
There are several reasons like missing the exam, getting sick, wrong grades, etc. One such reason why you may be writing an email is to tell them that some students are cheating. You can write about a specific student cheating or group of a students cheating. Thus, the following are the things that you need to remember while emailing a professor about cheating-
1. Subject line
When you are sending an email to the professor, the first thing you must take care of is sending them a proper subject line. Having a clear and short subject line helps the professor to know what exactly will be in the email. As you are writing this email to inform them about cheating, your subject can be, ‘complaint regarding cheating in the classroom’ or ‘cheating in an exam’.
2. Proper salutation
Having a proper salutation is important as it helps to show gratitude towards the professor. Starting the email with the Respected professor shows that you are really respecting them. Every professor wants respect from their students and of course, it is our duty for the students.
3. Introduction
You must always start an email with your introduction. It is because most of the professors are teaching around 100 to 150 students. Therefore it becomes hard for the professor to identify who you are. You must include your name your class and your roll number at the start of your email. In addition to that, you must also give a small introduction about why you are writing the email.
4. Context
After an introduction, you must make sure that the content you are writing is related to your reason. As you are writing an email regarding cheating you must make sure that everything you are including is true. It is because if it turns out to be wrong the tables may turn upon you. Thus, you must think before writing anything in your email. Describe why you are writing the email and give related information in it.
5. Adding up proofs
Although it is not compulsory to add up proofs, if you have, you must add them in your email. It is because it will make a strong point of you in front of your professor. Also adding proof means your professors can accuse them as without the proof they are not allowed to accuse a student formally.
6. Do not add any emojis
Emojis are becoming a popular way of describing your emotions. However, using them in an email makes it look unprofessional. Also when you add emojis in the email it will make it hard for the professor to understand what you are saying. Hence, you must avoid adding emojis as it will have a wrong impact of you on your professor.
7. Thanking words
Remember that your professors are very busy and may also be indulging in different institutional activities. As they are taking out some time to read your email you must add thank you words at the end of the email. You can include things like ‘thank you for your time’, to show them that you are really grateful that they give time to your problem.
8. Ending the email
When you are done with your email you must make sure that you are ending it properly and professionally. It means that you must end your email by writing your proper name and if possible signing it digitally. In addition to it, you may also end up by adding your class and roll number.
9. Proofreading
Writing the full email and doing a proper ending is not enough; you will need to go through it properly. Proofreading means rereading the context you have already written. It is not only an important step in writing the research papers but also in writing the email. Having errors in your email will make you look unprofessional and therefore reading it will help you to get safe from those mistakes and errors.
10. Wait for the response
Here your job is done now you need to wait for the response of a professor. Always remember that your professors are busy and they may take 1 to 2 days to respond to you. There you must wait calmly and patiently. If you do not hear in 2 days, you may directly contact them or send them a reminder email.
An example of emailing a professor about cheating
Following is an example of how you can write an email to the professor-
“Respected Professor
I XYZ of class …, would want to bring your attention to the cheating going on in the classroom. I know it is a common problem but it is still very frustrating and at the same time demotivating. I study for hours and even at night and still get a lower grade. But the students who are cheating without studying are scoring a grade higher than me. I would really request you to look into this matter and take strict action related to it.
Thank you
Your name”
Why do your professors ignore you?
As discussed above your professor may be busy with their other stuff. In such a scenario they may not be able to reply to you. You must wait patiently for their reply and send them follow-up emails if they forget to reply to you. Additionally, they may already know about it and therefore they may not respond to you. The best way to know if they have read the email or not is by directly talking to them in a classroom or in his or her office hours.
Conclusion
Cheating has become common and at the same time has demotivated a lot of students to work hard in their exams. In such a scenario you may want to let the professor know about it. The best way is through emailing the professor about cheating. However, when you are writing an email, you must make sure that you are starting with the right salutation and the right subject line. Further, you must make sure that you are writing the right introduction and the context in the email. If possible try to add some proofs in it. End the email properly and also make sure to proofread it.
