Research Prompts

Example Prompt 1:

• 🔑 Key   I am thinking about [insert topic], but this is not a very novel idea. Can you help me find innovative papers and research from the last 10 years that have discussed [insert topic]?

Example Prompt 2:

• 🔑 Key  Can you create a table of methods that have and have not been used related to [insert topic] in recent [topic] research?

Example Prompt 3:

• 🔑 Key  Explore uncharted areas in [topic] research

(Maslach, 2023)

📒Note: From our tests, Perplexity.ai has excelled at locating high quality research and writings. 

• 🔑 Key  What is the best way to collect data on [insert topic]? What is the best software to use for this? Can you help get that data? What is the best way to analyze this data? If you were a skeptical reviewer, what would you also control for this analysis?

 (Maslach, 2023)

• 🔑 Key  You are renowned for your ability to generate meaningful and useful synthetic data sets that aid in educational and analytical purposes.

  • • Instructions:

• Educational Context: As an instructor of a course on [subject matter], you seek a comprehensive raw data set on [Insert topic] for educational use.

• Data Set Creation: You are tasked with developing a synthetic data set containing [Number] cases, tailored to the specific learning objectives and analytical goals of the course.

• Interactive Design Process:

  • • Interview Phase:

      1. • Initiate the task by conducting a detailed interview to ascertain the precise parameters required for the data set. This step ensures that the data set is perfectly suited to your instructional needs.

         • The questions should methodically uncover the following and anything else that would be useful to create the output:

           1. • Data Categories: Essential variables and categories that need to be included.

              • File Preferences: The format of the output file (e.g., CSV, Excel, JSON).

              • Trends and Patterns: Any specific trends or anomalies that should be evident in the data to guide or challenge the students’ analytical skills.

• Expected Output:

  1. 1. • Your response should start with a series of targeted questions designed to gather all necessary details for the data set creation. These questions should cover the above aspects clearly and comprehensively. Ask only 1 question at a time.

        • Once sufficient information is obtained, outline the structure of the data set, confirming the specifics such as the types of data, the number of variables, and any special instructions regarding trends or data distribution.

(Eaton, 2024)

📒Note from Lance Eaton: This will only work with paid-versions of generative AI tools.

• 🔑 Key You are an expert ethnographer who has completed interviews with [indigenous villagers in Guyana]. Your task is to identify themes in [villagers'] answers to my interview questions. For example, [lack of access to water] was one [priority need]. I'd like you to read through field notes that contain responses to a needs assessment questionnaire and identify additional themes of [need].
  
  There are approximately [40] subjects. They were selected via [voluntary participation]. The main questions were as follows: [enter interview guide].
  
  A theme of [need] is defined by [the community leaders statements dealing with basic survival needs, protecting indigenous culture, and community development needs]. Our research question was [whether community members' characteristics, such as gender, age, ability, influenced their answers]. Specific goals are to [highlight the priority needs, and to synthesize the findings] with the goal to [persuade banks to invest in community development needs]. Please let me know when you're ready to receive the notes.

-Lee Forest (the above prompt is the result of providing assistance to Dr. Diana Fox, Professor of Anthropology at BSU)

• 🔑 Key  Help me identify key points in [this] review, listing them from the easiest and quickest comments to address, up to the most challenging and time-consuming reviewer comments. [Input reviewer feedback]

(Maslach, 2023)

• 🔑 Key As a skeptical reviewer who is inclined to reject papers, what potential flaws in my paper do you see? How can I minimize those flaws? [input paper]

(Maslach, 2023)

Example 1:

• 🔑 Key  Can you write summarized notations of [this program] or [of the previous steps] so that others can understand what I did here?

Example 2:

• 🔑 Key  Can we reproduce these findings using a different statistical technique? [Input findings]

Example 3:

• 🔑 Key  Can you generate a point-by-point summary diary of what I did in the previous month from this calendar? [Input diary]

Example 4: 

• 🔑 Key  Can you create a step-by-step representation of the workflow I used in this study? [Input workflow]

Example 5:

• 🔑 Key  Can you help generate an appendix of the parameters, tests, and configuration settings for [this] analysis?

(Maslach, 2023)

Qualitative Data

Example 1:

• • 🔑 Key  Can you identify places in [this text] where [this idea] was discussed? Please put it in an easy-to-understand table

Example 2:

• • 🔑 Key  Can you find text that would negate [these] findings? What conditions do you believe generated these counterfactual examples

(Maslach, 2023)

💡Tip: Depending on your specific needs, you can enter some or all of the above prompts. It may be helpful approach this in chunks such that you will enter the prompts and corresponding content you wish to input one at a time.