Artificial Intelligence (AI)

A prompt is typically a question, request, or topic posed by a human researcher to an AI tool. 

• Good prompts help the AI help you. A well-constructed prompt guides the AI towards relevant and useful information. Poorly worded prompts can generate misleading or unhelpful results.
• Good prompts are cheap(er). Many AI tools charge per query. A well-crafted prompt can reduce the number of searches needed, saving you both time and money.

CRISPE

CR: Capacity and Role. What role do you want the AI to play?
I: Insight, Provide necessary information or context. 
S: Statement. What do you want the AI to do?
P: Personality. Define the AI's tone (style or manner in which you want the AI to answer you).
E: Experiment. Ask the AI to provide multiple answers for you.

Example Prompt: 
I have received an email requesting a job interview for a gym assistant position at a college (I). Playing the role of a college student with no prior job experience (CR), draft a response saying I am very interested in the position and am available for an interview (S). The tone should be excited but professional (P). Draft 3 example responses (E). 

Adapted from  "Unleashing ChatGPT's Power: A Case Study on Optimizing Information Retrieval in Flipped Classrooms via Prompt Engineering," in IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, vol. 17, pp. 629-641, 2024, doi: 10.1109/TLT.2023.3324714.

Well-crafted prompts are CLEAR - a framework developed by Leo Lo, librarian and professor at the University of New Mexico.

• Example Prompt:  I am trying to figure out if I should be applying to UT and if I would like it there.
  • Issues: The AI doesn't know you or your preferences, there are multiple "UT" institutions, & are you applying to high school? Undergrad? Grad school?
• Improved Prompt: Identify the top reasons undergraduate students attend UT Tyler.

• Example Prompt: Can we make a flu vaccine organically?
  • Issues:  Are you asking about a vaccine made with eggs obtained through organic farming? A vaccine developed through "organic" research? Something else?
• Improved Prompt: Summarize the most promising vaccine candidates that protect against multiple strains of influenza. Highlight any mention of "organic" methods. 

• Example Prompt: What's UT Tyler like? 
  • Issues: What is your comparison for UT Tyler? Do you want a short or long answer? Are you referring to student organizations? Degree program rankings?
• Improved Prompt: Give me a concise summary of the major strengths and weaknesses of UT Tyler.

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The last two components explain how to refine your prompt based on the AI's initial response. 

• Prompt 1:  Why doesn’t Tyler have a Metro station?
  • Answer: (includes "geological obstacles")
• Adapted Prompt:  What are the engineering challenges and geological obstacles to constructing a Metro station in Tyler?

•  Prompt 1: Give me a concise summary of the major strengths and weaknesses of UT Tyler.
• Refined Prompt: Give me a concise summary of the major strengths and weaknesses UT Tyler, from the perspective of a first-generation college student.

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