To set up a signature in Outlook, follow these steps:

1. Open a new email message.
2. Go to Signature in the top bar and select Signatures (depending on the size of your Outlook window, the Message menu and the Signature button might be in a slightly different location than that shown)​.
3. Under Select signature to edit, choose New.
4. In the New Signature dialog box, type a name for the signature (e.g. PL boilerplate) and click OK.
5. In the Edit signature window, compose your signature – this will be your template message.

Note: you can change fonts, font colors and highlighting, font size, and other formatting adjustments. If you want to create a more robust signature with bullets, tables, or borders, use Word to format your text, then copy and paste the signature into the Edit signature box. This can be especially helpful to remind yourself where to modify text later (e.g., you can highlight placeholder text that you’ll want to adjust in yellow).

6. In the Choose default signature window (shown in the upper right corner of the above screenshot), you can set some options for your new signature. You probably won’t want to automatically add this signature to all new email messages or to automatically add it to all replies and forwards, so choose (none) for both of those options.
7. Click OK to save your new signature and return to your message.
8. Test that you can manually add your new signature to a message by selecting Signature from the Message menu and then picking the signature you just created.

Below is an example of a template message used as an Outlook signature. 

Hi [Name],

It’s good to hear from you! I hope the semester is going well. Your project sounds like it will be interesting to research.

To start, I recommend using these 3 search tools from the library:

1. Quicksearch Books+ and Orbis – When you start a new project it’s often a good idea to consult books first. Search by title, author, or keyword. If you find a book that looks good for your project, look at the “subjects” associated with the book – these subjects are links to help you discover more on the topic. Quicksearch is the default single-search on the library website, and you can find Orbis within the “Research” column on the library website.

2. Articles+ – A resource that will help you find both scholarly articles and newspaper/magazine articles from many different databases at once. Pay attention to the filters on the left side of your search results, as they’ll help you narrow down your choices. [For your project, you might start your book search using these terms: x, x, and x.] Find Articles+ within the “Research” column on the library website.

3. Academic Search Premier – A general database that will also find both scholarly articles and newspaper/magazine articles, but on a smaller scale (so your results will be more refined). Find Academic Search Premier within “Find Databases by Title” on the library website.

As you start your research keep in mind that the library has already purchased and subscribed to resources for you, and Google will not always be able to find them. Always go through the library website to access research material, which will ensure you won’t have to pay.

Tips on search strategies:

• For all of the resources listed above, test and modify your search terms to find the best results for your topic. Try coming up with a list of narrower or broader terms. For example: [Insert example specific to topic.] Keep track of search terms that work well, so you can replicate your search later!
• You should also look for options like “Advanced Search,” which will let you break down your search terms using a form to include and exclude terms. For example: [Insert example specific to topic.]
• I’d also encourage you to check out the library’s research guides (http://guides.library.yale.edu). You can I imagine that the guide for [guide name and link] would be particularly helpful to find additional resources. In general, research guides have a wealth of information about additional places to search for resources, manage citations, etc.

I hope this is helpful for now. If you have specific questions about using search terms or finding the best results, please let me know! We can also set a time to meet in person.

Best wishes,

[Your name]