Prompt Engineering

CLEAR
PROMPT

CLEAR: A Framework for Effective Prompts

Dr. Leo Lo, Dean of the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences at the University of New Mexico, developed the CLEAR framework to describe five core principles of effective prompts for AI models like ChatGPT and Microsoft CoPilot.

Good prompts are CLEAR:

Principle	Objectives	Needs Improvement	Revised Prompt
Concise	Focus on keywords Eliminate unnecessary words Be direct and specific in your requests	"Please provide me with an extensive discussion on the various factors that have significantly contributed to the unprecedented rise of online learning in the United States in the past few years."	"Identify factors behind the recent rise of online learning in the US."
Logical	Organize prompts into steps Break complex tasks into smaller, focused prompts	"Please outline a 5-minute speech on renewable energy resources and also include some data on air pollution in Washington, DC."	"First, outline a 5-minute speech on renewable energy resources. Then, cite at least two statistics on air pollution in Washington, DC to support your argument."
Explicit	Provide clear, detailed instructions Don't assume the AI knows what you want Include specific details and output requirements	"Tell me about the Haitian Revolution."	"Give a concise overview of the Haitian Revolution, including its causes, major events, and consequences."

The final two principles of the CLEAR framework ask you to revisit your prompt after you've received a response from the AI tool.

Principle	Objectives
Adaptive	Be flexible: rephrase or restructure your prompt if you didn't receive the response you expected Revise your prompt to address inaccuracies or missing information Adjust settings and parameters
Reflective	Evaluate the AI's response: Does it make logical sense? Does the response direct you to current research and include real citations? Is the answer complete, or are certain voices and perspectives missing? Consider what worked well and what didn't Continuously improve your prompts

Learn more about the CLEAR framework:

Lo, L. S. (2023). The CLEAR framework for ChatGPT: Enhancing information literacy in the AI era. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(5), 102720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102720

Lo, L. S. (2023). CLEARer Dialogues with AI: Unpacking Prompt Engineering for Librarians [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pvmMEnJhCs‌

PROMPT Design Framework

PROMPT Design Framework by Sarah Hartman-Caverly, Librarian at Penn State Berks

Use the PROMPT Design Framework to optimize output from generative AI by specifying a Persona, Requirements, Organization, Medium, Purpose, and Tone.

When using the PROMPT Design Framework, think of each part as an instruction for the AI to reduce confusion and make your output closer to what you need.This approach helps streamline the process and improve the relevance of the output.

Here is how you can use the PROMPT framework for the following situation: You are an undergraduate student and need information for you assignment on the influence of social media on the mental health of teenagers

Prompt Engineering Framework for Effective AI Queries
PROMPT	Reason	Example
Persona	Define who you want the AI to be.	“You are a psychology lecturer who specializes in adolescent mental health”
Requirements	State what you need, details, word count, reading level, include/exclude	“Give me evidence-based studies from 2018 onwards, include statistics if available, and mention both positive and negative influences of social media. Keep it around 500 words.”
Organization	Describe how you want the response structured.	Alphabetical, chronological, table, bulleted or numbered list, step by-step instructions, etc. “Include an introduction, 3–4 main points in clear paragraphs, and a short conclusion.”
Medium	Describe the format of output.	Narrative, social media post, code, spreadsheet, website, slide deck, image, survey, interview, etc “Write it as an academic summary suitable for a first-year undergraduate essay draft.”
Purpose	Explain why you need it	Explain, summarize, entertaining, convincing, etc “This will be used to help write my assignment on the topic.”
Tone	Describe the voice or style.	Academic, professional, informal, etc “Use a neutral, formal, academic tone.”