{"id":1187,"date":"2024-11-04T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/?p=1187"},"modified":"2024-11-04T10:04:43","modified_gmt":"2024-11-04T10:04:43","slug":"ai-and-the-library-week-three-prompt-writing-how-to-write-effective-prompts-for-better-ai-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.aber.ac.uk\/librarian\/?p=1187","title":{"rendered":"AI and the Library Week three. Prompt writing: How to write effective prompts for better AI results"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

AI can be a valuable tool to help you to get the most out of your time in the library. By utilising the conversational style of AI tools like ChatGPT, you can collaborate with the AI to refine searches, get personalised recommendations, and quickly discover relevant resources that meet your specific academic needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get the best results from AI, it’s important to ask the right questions, and this is a skill in itself,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pixabay<\/sub><\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This skill, known as prompt building<\/em> or prompt engineering<\/em>, involves structuring your queries in a way that directly impacts the usefulness of the AI’s responses. Mastering this technique can significantly improve your results from AI tools. (For more on the importance of effective prompt building, see our AI and the Library Guide here<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an effective prompt?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good AI prompt is concise, structured, and specific. You might like to think of it as a formula, where each element plays a role in making the prompt clear, targeted, and focused on the desired outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elements of the formula might look something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Task + Topic + Structure + Style + Level<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s have a look at what we mean by those elements and how we might apply them in a library scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Task<\/strong> component of the formula specifies what you want the tool to do. Some examples might include: Find; Summarise; Explain; Describe; Compare.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Topic<\/strong> defines the subject matter or scenario that we want the Task<\/strong> to explore. Examples might include: The Origins of the Second World War; Romanticism in English Literature; The Aims of Positive Psychology.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Structure<\/strong> specifies the format in which the response should be presented. You could ask for responses in: One Sentence; 200 words; A Bullet Point List; A table; A Graphic or Chart.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Style <\/strong>specifies how the content should be written. Styles might include: Formal; Informal; Academic; Witty.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Level<\/strong> of detail indicates the depth and scope of the information needed. This level of detail could be a Basic Overview <\/em>or an In-Depth Analysis<\/em> (or anywhere inbetween!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example that you might use in the library. You want to find some library resources that will help you to answer the following question: “Analyse the themes and characteristics of English Romanticism in the poetry of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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