Prompting

Prompting is the new programming!


A prompt is like a set of instructions for Gen AI, telling it exactly what you want it to write or create. Below are quick tips to get started.

Quick Tips

1. Be specific: Be as specific as possible, stating the scope, boundaries or anything else to clarify the question. Example: "How has the rate of inflation affected household earnings?" is not as effective as "Prepare a 200 word summary on the effect of rate of inflation on household earnings in Canada for a director in a government agency as well as 5-10 succinct bullet points."

2. Provide context: State the context, role, perspective or audience for the question or information need. Example: "I am writing a college-level essay on the effects of climate change in the Yukon - provide a high level outline with sources to get started" is better than "what are the effects of climate change in the Yukon?"

3. Specify format of output: Specify the format and style of the output you wish to see with examples if you have them (as long as you would not be violating copyright by providing them.) Example: "Format these meeting notes into the format in this "minutes" template copied below" instead of "format these notes."

4. Break it down: Break down a big task with multiple smaller prompts.

Explore the related resources below that will help you learn how to effectively write prompts.

Tips for Prompting

Tips for Prompting

  • Providing relevant context can help AI understand the task better, such as explaining the roles of both AI and the User in the task, outlining your requirements, and specifying the anticipated results. With a given role the AI model knows whether it should act as a knowledgeable assistant or any other specific character.
    • Prompt: I’m a college student developing an educational escape room focused on climate change for a Global Warming course. Could you give me a step-by-step guide to help me begin?
  • Include explicit instructions for the desired behaviour, for instance, asking the model to think step by step, rephrasing, searching, summarizing, synthesizing and so on.
    • User: Please find recent news articles on how AI affects climate change. Compile a list of primary opposing viewpoints: AI hurts the environment, and AI has the potential to address climate change.
  • Providing example inputs can help the model understand the desired patterns or formats for its responses. Example inputs may include the use of examples, demonstrations of the expected behavior, a set of relevant keywords or descriptors, the abstract of an interested article, a reference text and so on.
    • User: I came across a paper discussing how AI consumes significant energy and negatively affects the environment. Could you recommend a few more articles exploring AI's impact on climate change?
  • Direct the model to generate a response for a given style, tone, format or scenario.
  • Please assist me in finalizing the gathered data presented for an essay on AI's effect on climate change. Divide them into four parts: An introductory paragraph, Body paragraph with 3 supporting ideas, and a Conclusion that restates the thesis.
  • The process of prompt creation often involves lots of testing and refining of prompts, and the effectiveness of prompt techniques may differ depending on the particular task, language model, plugins / extensions/ sources employed and the user's prompt engineering experience.
  • When crafting a prompt, use plain English and be specific about what you want the tool to do.
  • Providing background information, context, or examples can be helpful.
  • Divide a complex concept into smaller prompts.
  • Ask ChatGPT to act as an expert to explain a complex concept step by step.

Action Prompts

  • Can you write / explain / summarize / provide / analyze / compose / re-write /translate ...
  • Give me a table summarizing some of the key differences between ... and ...
  • Rephrase this sentence: ..... / Expand the idea based on the following descriptors .....

WH Prompts - (what, when, where, who, which, whose, why, how...)

  • What are the leading causes /factors / impacts / definitions / benefits of challenges, barriers, issues with .....
  • What would be a good image to use for my talk about plagiarism?
  • How to search / cite / code / convert (e.g., the data into a table) ...

Prompts To Set A Specific Context

  • Summarize the plot of ... in one short paragraph.
  • Create a list of five ChatGPT features that can be used to promote...
  • I will have a debate about the use of standardized testing in schools. Can you help me find some arguments in favor of this practice, as well as some counterarguments?

Adapted from "AI-Based Literature Review Tools" by Texas A&M University Libraries

Prompt Checklist: SCORES!

Prompting Checklist: SCORES

Use this handy checklist when creating your prompts - just remember the acronym "SCORES"! The acronym is spelled out below:

  • Specific: Was I specific in terms of:
    • Format (memo, executive summary, etc.)
    • Style (informal, formal, etc.)
    • Type of content (poem, essay, etc.)
    • Context (e.g., school, work, etc.)
  • Constraints:Did I set any necessary constraints? (e.g., word count, style requirements, etc.)​
  • Output:Did I outline what I want my result to look like? (e.g., table, essay, business memo, etc.)​
  • Roles: Did I identify any necessary roles - of the user/audience or provider of the info? (e.g., "for a first-year college student"; "Act as a Jungian Psychoanalyst")​
  • Examples: Can I include any helpful examples?​ (Remember to avoid uploading anything that might contravene copyright and any intellectual property that you do not own or wish to be made public.)
  • Steps Can I break down my request into smaller steps or refine/tweak my query in follow-up prompts?​

Additional Resources

Disclaimer

It's important to note that the information provided here serves as a general guide. Generative AI might not be allowed in your courses or assignments. If your instructor offers specific guidelines that differ from the information presented here, it's crucial to adhere to your instructor's directives.