Writing a Prompt That Says What You Actually Want

A chatbot uses its available context, including the conversation and any supplied material. It cannot read private intentions that were never shared. Missing requirements can lead it to make unwanted assumptions, even if its answer sounds clear. State the details that matter for your task.

Name the task and subject, audience, output format and limits. For example: 'Write three short-answer questions about the water cycle for age 12. Keep each explanation under 20 words.' These requirements let you check the result. A detailed prompt can help, but does not guarantee that every requirement will be followed.

For an essay outline, supply the topic, length requirements, stance and relevant notes. For passage analysis, supply the exact passage and question, rather than relying on a title alone. Use only material you are allowed to share. Follow school rules and avoid private information. Supplied material helps define the task, but its use still needs checking.

If you want to choose ideas before developing prose, ask for an outline first. Review it, select a useful section, then request expansion of that section. Other tasks may need a different first step. In later rounds, name the specific problem and the change you want.

Set observable criteria before reading the answer. Turn each requirement into a check: does the format match, is the length within the limit, and does each claim preserve the supplied material? If you request a bullet list, prose paragraphs do not meet that format. Ask for uncertainty to be flagged, but check the evidence yourself.

Polished wording does not establish a fact. Some chatbots can retrieve and inspect sources, but their evidence checks can still be mistaken. Before using an important claim, inspect a reliable source and compare its passage with the claim. Check quotations, meaning and citations even when you supplied the source.