Annie J. Rohan, PhD, RN, FAANP, FAAN
Leslie H. Nicoll, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN
Writer’s Camp Counselor and Camp Director
Abstract
Annie J. Rohan and Leslie H. Nicoll present essential guidelines for professional email etiquette aimed at authors communicating with editors. They emphasize that emails should be clear, respectful, and appropriately formatted, with the correct use of salutations and avoiding casual language, such as emojis and textisms. Authors should be mindful of their relationship with editors, addressing them formally unless invited otherwise, and carefully considering the content and tone of their messages. Key “editor irks” identified include using generic salutations, improper journal names, and marking emails as high importance. Overall, professional email habits reflect one’s reputation and respect for the recipient.
Editors can tell a lot about an author from a single email.
To achieve professional “netiquette,” authors must understand not only what to say in email, but how to say it—and how to use the tools of email well. Writing and responding to professional email requires clear, succinct content; thoughtful use of formatting; an informative subject line; and sound judgment about when (and whom) to copy. A professional signature helps your message look finished, and good habits around sending, receiving, and monitoring email keep both you and your recipients sane.
In these Email Hints and Caveats articles,1 we focus on often-underemphasized aspects of professional email—especially in author–editor communications. The advice here applies broadly to any situation where you are “writing up” to someone with more authority or responsibility, whether that is an editor, your department chair, or a senior administrator.
What follows is a short list of common editor irks—the kinds of things that make an editor pause and wonder whether you meant to send the message to someone else. Read on and polish every word.
Editor Irk: Generic Salutations
When you write to an editor, take a moment to find out who they are and address them correctly. The editor of a journal is always listed on the journal’s website, along with their credentials—use them. If the person has a PhD, DNP, EdD, or other doctoral credential, the correct salutation is “Dr.”
While “Dear Editor” is not incorrect, it is far better to use the editor’s correct title and last name (spelled correctly). Using the wrong salutation (e.g., “Ms.” instead of “Dr.”) or misspelling the editor’s name is always inappropriate and immediately signals carelessness.
Editor Irk: Besties
Doing your homework about a journal and its editor does not make you a personal acquaintance. If you are an author, you should treat the editor and peer reviewers as professional superiors and use their proper salutation unless the editor has explicitly invited you to use their first name.
Exclamation points (e.g., Hello Dr. Nicoll!) may be intended to convey enthusiasm, but they can easily be read as unprofessional, immature, insincere—or as overstepping. “Hi Leslie!” is even riskier. Default to formality; you can always relax the tone later if invited.
Editor Irk: Caps, Textisms, and Emojis
Avoid using ALL CAPS for emphasis. By now, everyone should know this reads as shouting and is considered rude. Textisms (e.g., idk, lol, omg) do not belong in professional email. Emojis? Absolutely not.
Editor Irk: Consider Your Relationship with the Editor
In any professional communication, it is essential to consider the relationship between sender and recipient—in this case, you and the editor. While collegial relationships matter, email communications to professional superiors are part of your professional reputation and may influence future opportunities.
If you are an author, the editor and peer reviewers occupy a position of authority in this relationship. Your email tone and content should reflect that reality.
Editor Super Irk: The Wrong Journal
Always, always make sure you have replaced the name of your first-choice, high-impact journal with the name of the current journal in your cover letter and email. Forgetting to do this is a fast way to signal inattention and disrespect—and it happens more often than you might think.
Editor Irk: Upward Delegation
“Delegating up” means pushing a task onto someone with more authority or responsibility. While editors are often the ones who must take action, the way you ask matters.
Telling an editor, “I anticipate hearing from you next week regarding this matter,” simply drops your task in their lap. Adding “please” does not make it humble. A better alternative is something like:
“I will follow up with you next week regarding this issue, unless I hear from you before then.”
As busy as you think you are, the editor knows “busy” at a level you have not yet experienced.
Editor Super Irk: Using the “High Importance” Feature
What do you get when you cross an emoji with upward delegation? The High Importance flag.
When used consistently within a defined team, this feature can be useful. But editors have learned that authors who mark their email as “high importance” are often signaling more about their own anxiety (or a looming tenure deadline) than about the actual urgency of the message.
Should an author ever mark an email to an editor as high importance? No.
Editor Irk: Failing to Show Respect
Always be polite. Use courteous language. Respect the editor’s time. Avoid sarcasm, jargon, or harshness, and think carefully about how your tone may come across.
While brevity is a virtue, a simple opening such as “Good morning, Dr. Nicoll” can go a long way toward conveying professionalism and deliberateness.
Remember: every email is an opportunity to practice your writing. Proofread carefully—and do not rely solely on spellcheck. Pay attention to spacing, capitalization, and punctuation. Errors in email signal a lack of care for the reader’s time, especially when that reader is an editor.
Conclusion
Email has been around for decades, and for most professionals it remains the default method of communication. Editors, in particular, have extensive experience reading messages that range from excellent to… memorable for all the wrong reasons.
With spellcheck and artificial intelligence now assisting in email composition, it is easier than ever to produce a polished message—but also more important than ever to take steps to avoid an email malfunction.
Be attentive to professional email standards. Think before you send. Use a professional address and signature. Understand your tools. These small habits help ensure that your email represents you—and your work—in the best possible light.
Reference
- Rohan A, Nicoll LH. Email Hints and Caveats: Advice for Authors Some Basics: Email Address and Signature Etiquette. The Writer’s Camp Journal, 2025; 1(2):14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.16955688
Authors: Annie J. Rohan and Leslie H. Nicoll
Reviewed and Edited by: Patricia A. Normandin
Copyright © 2026 Writer’s Camp and Annie J. Rohan and Leslie H. Nicoll CC-BY-ND 4.0
Citation: Rohan AJ, Nicoll LH. Email Etiquette for Authors: Editor Irks, Super Irks, and How to Avoid Them. The Writer’s Camp Journal, 2026; 2(1):14 doi:10.5281/zenodo.18391351
Brilliant!
Indeed! I can relate to all of these irks and super irks! I have one more – a super irk – asking the editor to publish “as soon as possible” – often because of an event that concerns the author only. Example – please publish this by next month because I need this in order to graduate (or get my grade).
Or get tenure…or submit a grant…LOL. Yes, I have read them all, too!
I am astonished that people ask to have their submissions reviewed as soon as possible. Clearly, though, it happens.
I appreciate these posts and will be sharing this one and others in this series with my students. This semester, one of our topics is authorship and dissemination. These posts help highlight just how important the details are when writing and submitting manuscripts. Thanks for writing and sharing them.