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2. How to prompt

A prompt is a sequence of instructions written in natural language.

A prompt is particularly useful for general generative AIs. Some academic AIs use keywords prompts (Semantic Scholar for example), while others use natural language prompts.

The megaprompt

An effective prompt needs to be precise and specific, so as to provide comprehensive guidance for the AI. In particular, it must contain the following elements:

  • A role (“you are...”, “act like...”) and/or context
  • A recipient and/or an objective
  • A format
  • Constraints
  • A style

Example of megaprompt:

 You are a general practitioner. You work in a clinic that specializes in the treating the elderly. You have to write a medical report on the treatment of a geriatric patient who has fractured the neck of his collarbone. The report is to be submitted to the clinic's medical committee. The goal is to receive approval to implement a specific treatment protocol. Write a structured report with an introduction, a methodology, results, a discussion and a conclusion.

Constraints:

  • Use precise and rigorous scientific language.
  • Keep to a maximum length of 10 pages.
  • Include graphs and tables to illustrate data.
  • Cite all sources according to APA format. 

Present results clearly and concisely.

After the first answer, you can refine the AI's proposals by being more specific on certain points. For example, you can ask it to expand on a particular aspect with a new prompt: “expand on this point in your report”, “give an example on this point”, “use a more scientific vocabulary/a more pedagogical tone/...”, “rework the report by integrating such and such data”, and so on.

Multiprompting

Multiprompting is asking AI for a more precise answer by interrogating it several times in a row.

 

Query 1: “What are the biological mechanisms involved in Parkinson's disease?”

Query 2: “What molecules are currently in development for the treatment of Parkinson's disease?”

Query 3: “What are the challenges and opportunities in the development of new drugs for Parkinson's disease?”

Query 4: "What are the results of recent clinical trials on new treatments for Parkinson's disease?

 

Reverse prompting

Reverse prompting is asking the AI for advice on how to write a better prompt.

 

You’re a prompt engineering specialist. Take a critical look at my prompt. How would you write an effective prompt?/What would you improve about this prompt? Here is my example:…

 

📢 Questions or tips about prompting? Join our collaborative forum!

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