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Just as there are good and bad database search techniques, the quality and relevance of the output you receive from a generative AI tool are directly influenced by the prompts, or instructions, you give it. Simply put: Garbage in, garbage out.
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General Prompt Guidelines: CLEAR
Clinical and Research Prompt Guidelines: PICO
Ineffective vs. Effective Prompts: Examples
How to Write AI Art Prompts (Zapier Blog)
General Prompt Guidelines: CLEAR
The CLEAR method is a structured approach to prompt writing that emphasizes clarity and specificity, enhancing the AI's ability to generate accurate responses. CLEAR prompts are:
C: Concise
- Be brief and clear, removing any extraneous information
L: Logical
- Prompts should be structured and coherent. The provided information should follow a natural progression.
E: Explicit
- Be clear about your output expectations.
A: Adaptive
- Be prepared to experiment with prompt crafting in order to get exactly the output you want.
R: Reflective
- Continuously reflect on the outputs you receive, in order to both create more effective prompts in the future and to evaluate the response’s accuracy, relevance, and completeness.
Georgetown University Library has an excellent breakdown of the CLEAR framework that includes examples.
Clinical and Research Prompt Guidelines: PICO
Originally used in evidence-based practice to formulate clinical research questions, the PICO framework can be adapted to create effective AI prompts, especially for generating clinically-relevant information. PICO stands for:
P: Patient, Problem, or Population
- Define the subject: Clearly specify the patient group, condition, or population you want to know more about.
- Example: “In elderly patients with age-related macular degeneration…”
I: Intervention
- Specify the action: State the treatment, test, or intervention you want to explore.
- Example: “…does the use of anti-VEGF therapy…”
C: Comparison
- Identify alternatives: Mention any alternative interventions or control conditions for comparison.
- Example: “…compared to photodynamic therapy…”
O: Outcome(s) of interest
- State the desired result: Define what you aim to measure or achieve.
- Example: “…lead to better visual acuity outcomes?”
Ineffective vs. Effective Prompts: Examples
Ineffective Prompt | Effective Prompt |
“Explain vision.” | “Describe the physiological process of human vision, including the roles of the cornea, lens, and retina.” |
“Tell me about eye diseases.” | “Compare and contrast the causes, symptoms, and treatments of glaucoma and macular degeneration.” |
“What is color vision?” | “Describe the trichromatic theory of color vision and how it relates to the cone cells in the retina.” |
“How do we see depth?” | “Explain the monocular and binocular cues used by the visual system to perceive depth, such as occlusion, relative size, and stereopsis.” |
Additional Prompt Advice
- Be clear and specific.
- Provide context.
- Specify the desired format (list, summary, etc.).
- Ask open-ended questions.
- Set constraints if necessary.
- Iterate and refine.