Shall I use my university address to contact professors in other universities who are specialized in the field of my dissertation?
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2Emailing them in what context? For advice, some help, arranging meeting etc. Please edit your question and mention details and make it clear what kind of communication you want to have via email.– Shahensha KhanCommented Aug 21, 2016 at 17:38
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9Clarification needed: why wouldn't you use your university email address to contact someone in another university?– Mad JackCommented Aug 21, 2016 at 17:57
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3@MadJack, The OP is probably a novice, and he doesn't have the perspective you have. That's a fair question.– DilworthCommented Aug 21, 2016 at 20:14
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5@Dilworth: … but if the OP elaborates their concerns, we can better address them.– Wrzlprmft ♦Commented Aug 22, 2016 at 9:20
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The OP may not have the perspective to reflect upon his/her concerns. But I suspect he/she assumes that a university email is meant to be used only for internal matters within the university.– DilworthCommented Aug 22, 2016 at 12:19
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3 Answers
That is actually a fair question. (Some commenters here have possibly missed the point that for the beginner in academia even the most obvious things may cause confusion).
And the answer is: yes, you can.
I personally use my university address any time that I am conducting academic business, as, in my experience, people place more trust in .edu email addresses and web domains. Also, it is more professional to use a university email address as opposed to a personal email address.
However, keep in mind that your university likely has access to your email account, and they could track what you are saying and to whom. So, if you need confidentiality from your university, it may be better to go with another email provider. Also, some universities will 'expire' email accounts when students graduate (or faculty/staff leave). This likely won't be an issue for you, though, as you are still working on your dissertation.
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7"However, keep in mind that your university likely has access to your email account, and they could track what you are saying and to whom." - of course, depending on the jurisdiction, this could also be completely illegal for the university. Commented Aug 21, 2016 at 18:26
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@O.R.Mapper how you find out if it was legal or not for the university to access your email?– user60356Commented Aug 21, 2016 at 20:36
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3@JackSt.Claire: That depends on the applicable law where the university is located. For instance, in Germany, described in what probably is simplified perspective, an employer (or a comparable entity) is not allowed to access their employees' e-mail accounts on the employer's systems unless the employer has explicitly completely forbidden any non-work-related use of the account. In practice, I imagine this to be problematic at a university, where accounts sometimes double as employee's and student's accounts and are meant to be used for both purposes. Commented Aug 21, 2016 at 20:58
Yes, of course
From the description of your question, the intent of your email is to contact with academicians within the same or of another institution. That is what an institutional email address mainly for.
Institutional email ids (such as a university email) provide an identity for the user as a member of the institution in addition to be able to separate his professional mails from his own personal email. Certain institutional email ids even give you the facility to automate term leave timings to send a polite reply to the sender if you are away on a vacation.
