Representing academic identities in email: content and structure of Automatic Signatures

This paper analyses the automatic email signatures (ASs) of 200 academics. Qualitative and quantitative ASs reveal that they are often written in one language, only occasionally two, English being a frequent choice. The contain information with primarily identificatory function, promotional socialising function. Despite absence clearly compulsory components, typical structure can be identified ASs, which includes specification writers’ identity, reference to their affiliation, mention achievements, an indication on how reached. Like other academic texts, examined places self-categorisation self-identification, tools for presenting one’s professional developing as sites self-promotion.