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Chat GPT - AI Literacy

Best practices for using Chat GPT in your Research

Prompting

Your prompts are the words and phrases you type into ChatGPT. The value and usability of your interaction with ChatGPT greatly depends on your prompts.  It is recommended to “Think of ChatGPT as your personal intern. They need very specific instructions, and they need you to verify the information” (University of Arizona Libraries).

Tips for Prompts:

  • Define your objectives clearly – Decide what you want from the AI tool, and let it know. Do you want it to generate ideas? Answer a question? Summarize an article? Write a draft? 
  • Direct your prompts but also give feedback on the results. Interact with the AI, rather than trying to issue a single command that does everything you want. Keep conversing and asking for changes.
    •  "That's very helpful. Please tell me more about symptoms of long COVID in teenagers."
    • "I didn't like any of those topics. Please give me 10 more."
  • Give it a role to play. 
    • "Act as a community college student. I’m writing a research paper for Sociology and I need help coming up with a topic. I’m interested in topics related to climate change. Please give me a list of 10 topic ideas related to climate change."
  • Don’t ask for infinite lists or grids. Ask for a finite number of results.
    • “Give me 20 search terms.”
  • Set parameters and constraints – If you have specific requirements for the response (word count, style, format [e.g., paragraph, bullet points, chart]), let the AI tool know. In addition to paragraphs it can give you a table, a bulleted list, ascii art, multiple choice quiz questions, emojis, computer code, and more.
  • Give examples and style guidelines if you want creative content or a specific format, style, or reading level.
    • "Write a poem for preschoolers about bananas in the style of Lewis Carroll."
  • Work in smaller chunks – Rather than ask it to "write a half hour speech on topic X," ask it to outline a half hour speech, then ask it to explain each of the individual points in its outline. You can then combine the separate points into a half hour speech.
  • Experiment with different prompt styles – Try rephrasing your prompt, or using a different sort of prompt.
  • Privacy and confidentiality – Many AI tools ingest and remember queries and other inputs, so avoid including private, sensitive, or confidential information in your prompts.
  • Sometimes it gets confused if you change topics in the middle of a conversation. When you want to change the subject, start a new chat.
  • Avoid asking for a list of sources. It will often make them up. Instead use the library catalog and databases. 

 

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These tips are adapted from:

Choice360's (2024) blog post, ChatGPT as a Tool for Library Research – Some Notes and Suggestions

The University of Arizona Libraries Student Guide to ChatGPT

One Useful Thing (2023), Ethan Mollick's A guide to prompting AI (for what it is worth)

Wesleyan University Library ChatGPT and other Generative AI: How to Use Generative AI Effectively

Additional Resources

Are you confused by some of the lingo used in the world of AI? Check out this AI Glossary of Terms.

OpenAI offers a Best Practices for Prompt Engineering with the OpenAI API guide.

The American Association of Colleges and Universities, in partnership with Elon University in North Carolina has released The 2025 Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence. The guide teaches students (and anyone!) to use AI comfortably, effectively, safely and ethically as well as how to use these skills for study and employment.

The University of Arizona Libraries offers 10 min videos on: 

Learn how to effectively use prompts from Learn Prompting's Introductory Course on Generative AI and Prompt Engineering.

LinkedIn offers free Generative AI Online Training Courses.