Generative Artificial Intelligence

Using AI for Research

To use AI effectively for research one of the first things you should ask is what are you trying to accomplish and be intentional about the type of tool you use. You may even want to consider if AI is the best sort of tool for what you are looking for. 

There are lots of different AI tools. See [different page for a list of different AI research assistants and what they do].

Prompt Engineering for a Research Question

This section will focus on writing prompts for chat based AI tools like ChatGPT, GoogleBard, or Microsoft Bing's chatbot. 

Prompt Pattern: Persona

How to create the prompt

• Act as a certain persona (e.g. "imagine you are an anthropologist"
• You can give additional context, such as what the persona is trying to accomplish

Here's an example of how to apply this in your research

Prompt: Imagine you are an anthropologist. What are keywords and terms you would likely use if you were writing a paper about the formation of social hierarchies in societies.

This prompt will give a list of different search terms you can try to find relevant papers on your topic

Prompt Pattern: Simulated Interaction

How to create the prompt

Instead of asking ChatGPT questions, have it ask questions to you

• Explain to ChatGPT what the interaction will look like (I will prompt you, then I want you to ask me a question based on that prompt).
• You can do this as one-off questions or more in-depth.

Here's an example of how to apply this in your research

Prompt: I want to write a psychology paper about memory but I am not sure what direction to go with my specific topic. Help me come up with a starting research question by asking me questions about what aspects of memory I am interested in. When you have enough information to write a research topic, stop asking questions and write the research question. Ask me one question at a time and wait for my response.

This prompt will make ChatGPT act as a conversation partner to help you think through decisions about narrowing down your research topic.

Prompt Pattern: Schedule Maker

How to create the prompt

Tell ChatGPT what you are trying to accomplish and ask it to create a schedule to keep you on task

Here's an example of how to apply this in your research

Prompt: I have three hours tonight I can work on research for my paper on social media's impact on presidential elections. By the end of those three hours I want to have found two peer-reviewed sources and created an annotated bibliography of those sources. Can you create a schedule of what I should do between 7pm and 10 pm to accomplish those things on time?

This prompt will give you a schedule of what to work on during a set amount of time and also breaks down research into concrete steps