This page is licensed under CC BY-NC. It was adapted from How to Craft Prompts in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Generative Resources Guide by Georgetown University Library under a CC BY-NC license.
A prompt is (technically speaking) input to an AI tool. For research AI tools, the prompt is almost always a question, request, or topic posed by you, the human researcher. Why should you try to write good prompts?
Good prompts are CLEAR - a framework developed by Leo Lo, a librarian and professor at the University of Mexico. In the box below, learn more about each component of the framework.
Read more about the CLEAR framework in Lo, L. S. (2023). The CLEAR path: A framework for enhancing information literacy through prompt engineering. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102720–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102720 or access the open access version via Google Scholar
Concise (also Clear)
Focus on the key words for the AI tool to analyze. Try to omit as many needless words* as possible.
I am trying to figure out if I should be applying to the Montevallo and if I would like it there.
(The AI doesn't know you or your preferences, are you applying to high school? undergrad? grad school?)
Identify the top reasons undergraduate students attend the University of Montevallo.
Logical
Most AI tools look for relationships between words and concepts, so make sure your query presents concepts accurately an in their natural and logical order. If your question does not make sense to you (or someone else), it probably won't make sense to AI!
Can we make a flu vaccine organically?
(Are you asking about a vaccine made with eggs obtained through organic farming? A vaccine developed through "organic research"? Something else?)
Summarize the most promising vaccine candidates that protect against mulitple strains of influenza.
Explicit
Be clear in what you want from the AI. Giving the AI tool clear output directions can help the AI produce an answer that is useful to you.
What's the University of Montevallo like?
(What's your comparison to the University of Montevallo? Do you want a short answer or a long one?)
Give me a concise summary of the major strengths and weaknesses of the University of Montevallo.
Adaptive
Try a second prompt with keywords or topics suggested by the AI in its answer. If the AI tool has seeding or guidance settings, investigate different settings. Did you get better results? If the tool allows you to specify words/concepts to exclude or ignore, can you refine your prompt by excluding concepts?
Prompt 1: Why doesn't the University of Montevallo have a football team?
Answer: (includes "economic obstacles" and "impact on other sports and school programs")
Prompt 2: What are the economic challenges and the impact on other sports and schools programs if a football team was added at the University of Montevallo?
Even the best prompt may need improvement! This component addresses what to do after you've examined the AI's answer to your initial prompt.
Reflective
Always take a moment to reflect on AI's answer. Does it make intuitive sense to you? Does the answer refer to current research (if important for your query), or does it seem based on older research? Has the AI "hallucinated" or returned inaccurate information? Is the answer complete, or are there perspectives or voices unrepresented in the answer?
Prompt 1: Give me a concise summary of the major strengths and weaknesses of the University of Montevallo.
Prompt 2: Give me a concise summary of the major strengths and weakness of the University of Montevallo, from the perspective of a first-generation college student.
Even the best prompt may need improvement! This component addresses what to do after you've examined the AI's answer to your initial prompt.
The Prompt Engineering Guide by DAIR.AI has many more techniques and guidelines for prompt engineering: