What should be the subject line to use in an email asking to join a research lab?

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I'm interested in joining one of the research labs in my university and I would like to arrange a meeting with a professor or visit his lab office to discuss if I could join his lab. But I do not know if what I have been using sounds natural and if I have been using it wrongly.

What could be the possible subject lines of the email? Does the following sound natural? Or what could be other better subject lines?

  • Question about joining your lab
  • May I come to you office to discuss the possibility of joining your lab?

Anon L

Posted 2018-06-17T11:29:22.923

Reputation: 1

**sound natural**. The verb sound like seem and look wants an adjective to complement the subject, not an adverb. – Tᴚoɯɐuo – 2018-06-17T11:38:50.140

The subject line of an email is typically not a fully-formed sentence but a fragment that identifies the subject matter. Since there is limited space on the display device, rules similar to those governing headlines in newspapers are in effect. – Tᴚoɯɐuo – 2018-06-17T11:42:21.173

@Tᴚoɯɐuo Thanks, edited. Could you suggest some other better options in your opinion? – Anon L – 2018-06-17T14:05:34.060

Any answer here is purely subjective. We can really only help with something specific. – Jason Bassford – 2018-06-17T15:40:06.693

Answers

1

E-mail subject lines are generally short fragments. I would avoid using a full sentence ("May I come to you office to discuss the possibility of joining your lab?") or placing the key point of the e-mail in the subject ("Question about joining your lab").

The actual subject line is up to you but I would consider something like:

"Request for meeting"

"Research opportunities"

"Laboratory visit"

And then explain one's intentions in the body of the e-mail.

JWC

Posted 2018-06-17T11:29:22.923

Reputation: 161

Asked: 2018-06-17T11:29:22.923

Viewed: 1 097 times

Active: 2020-02-14T19:33:59.870