What is a prompt? A prompt is the information you give to an AI large language model to elicit a response. A prompt can be keywords, a question a formula or code, creative writing or even long, specific instructions.
Why is a good prompt important? Having a prompt that is detailed and specific will improve your chances of getting the AI-generated output that is more accurate and meets your needs.
This page will offer tips on how to improve the prompts you use and provide sample prompts for generating various forms of output.
Refine your prompt within your prompt:
Ask a question as a prompt but at the end, ask your AI generator to ask you questions about the prompt/topic. When you respond to those questions, you’ll likely get a better second or third answer.
Submit your prompt and ask ChatGPT (or your chosen LLM) to do the following
Follow the CLEAR model:
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
The components of the CLEAR model of prompt creation is similar to how we'd recommend you develop a search strategy. The CLEAR components are:
There are tools out there to help you improve your prompts. Play around with these to see whether or not their recommendations give you better output than your unassisted prompts.