Students may not be aware of the way they portray themselves when they hurriedly send e-mails to their professors. This has prompted some professors to warn students against sending "lazy e-mails" that are disrespectful and can adversely affect a student's image in the eyes of their teacher.

"Lazy e-mails" may include e-mails sent without a greeting, e-mails asking for lecture notes after missing class or e-mails using excessive abbreviations, among other things.

"The casualness isn't itself bad. But students will say things they wouldn't dream of saying in person," Anthropology Prof. John O'Shea said.

O'Shea said the worst e-mails he gets are whiny and annoying, asking for information that is already available on CTools. The e-mails are not offensive, but portray the students who send them in a negative light, he explained.

LSA freshman Samantha Grassle prefers to send e-mails instead of going to office hours. Still, she said, she wouldn't say anything in an e-mail that she wouldn't say to a professor in person, because "you still have to see them in class."

In general, O'Shea does not think using e-mail to contact a professor is abused, but that students do sometimes come across as lazy. Other professors are more concerned about inappropriate e-mails from students.

Catherine Squires, an assistant professor of Communications and Afroamerican and African Studies, said e-mail etiquette is "certainly a problem." When students send their first e-mail to a professor, she advises them to act like they are writing a formal letter.

"You should be as polite as possible," she said. "This is a person who controls your grade and doesn't know you. . You have to start off on the right foot."

The problem with e-mail correspondence, Squires said, is "students haven't been told how to interact with professors. At the high school level, you're usually not sending e-mails to teachers."

She said students do not always distinguish between e-mails sent to friends and e-mails sent to professors. She warns students to avoid using abbreviations and "emoticons," like the smiley face.

An example of an inappropriate e-mail Squires received was typed entirely lower-case, without a greeting. It read: "what are we supposed to do for the next assignment again?"

When she receives an e-mail like this, she answers in a formal tone and adds a post-script to serve as a warning, explaining that if she were more of a stickler she probably would have a bad impression of the student.

"It's like they are yelling at me across the hall," she said. "As much as we would all like to be equals, there is a hierarchy."

A recent study of rhythms in e-mail usage conducted by Hewlett Packard Labs found that there is often a notion of reciprocity in e-mail conversation. Interviews showed people respond to e-mails in different ways to make themselves more or less approachable.

Gender may also play a role in approachability Squires said.

"Students are more likely to see female professors as a 'mommy' or friend figure. Students are more likely to get upset when women do not reply," she said.

Squires tells her students they shouldn't expect responses after 4 p.m. when she goes home to her family. She thinks the instant messaging culture gives students the idea that they should get a response right away.

Grassle said she expects replies from her professors usually by the following day.

When students do not receive a response, many send additional e-mails.

"I've had experiences where students sent e-mails every hour on the hour. They imagine I'm hooked to my computer. It's not the matrix. We're not jacked 24 hours a day," Squires said.

O'Shea believes that the "lazy e-mails" are sent more often from advanced students - who may have a greater sense of entitlement.

Although he occasionally receives "lazy e-mails", O'Shea said he believes communication via e-mail provides a valuable mechanism for students who are too shy to talk to their professors. He said the best e-mails he's received are from students expressing excitement about coursework.

Students have thanked Squires via e-mail for addressing issues such as homosexuality in class, when they probably would have felt uncomfortable doing so in person, she said. In some situations, students informed Squires through e-mail about learning disabilities that they were too embarrassed to share with her face-to-face, which permitted them to have more exam time.

Squires warns that students should keep some issues to themselves. If a student is on a certain type of medication, such as an antidepressant, students may want to keep this information private. Professors may become biased based on such information.

Other professors, such as Francis Blouin Jr., a professor of information, have not experienced problems with inappropriate e-mails. Blouin said all his e-mail contact with students has been "appropriate and productive."