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Typography expert's rules for making messages easier to read elicit both applause and accusations of pedantry. Jack Grove reports
About two decades have passed since academics began regularly sending emails to each other, but it seems that the style, shape and etiquette of messages have still not been agreed.
Should you ever start an email to a colleague with a "Hi" or a "Hey"? Is it rude to end an email without writing your name or initial, even if it is obvious who you are from the text? And how do you choose the right sign-off, one that is not too terse ("best", "regards"), too needy ("many thanks") or too formal ("yours")?
One other issue still to be decided is how to space your text to make it easy to read - with some scholars favouring frequent line breaks and others using paragraphs that run for several lines.
With readability in mind, one UK professor has...