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Pick the best sources from a messy search list

Practice: Keeping the AI to your sources. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

Your Sociology 210 paper is on remote work and loneliness, and your professor only accepts peer-reviewed sources published in 2018 or later. From the search results you saved, you want exactly 3 numbered picks, each with a one-sentence reason under 20 words, in plain text, and nothing else. Use only the details in your list, and don't describe what a study found unless your list says it. Write a prompt that gets you that shortlist.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Asking "which sources are best". The AI picks how many to return and usually ranks every item with long explanations. Try: Be exact: "exactly 3 numbered picks."
  • Not giving your professor's rules. The AI judges sources by its own sense of quality, so a famous 2016 article or a readable blog can sneak in. Try: Spell out the criteria: "peer-reviewed, 2018 or later, not retracted."
  • Letting the AI describe the findings. The AI fills reasons with what a study "found", and it is guessing, because your list has no findings. Try: Add: "Base each reason only on details in my list. Don't describe findings."
  • Getting a lecture on the rejects. By default the AI explains every source it rejected, which buries your 3 picks. Try: Say: "Output only the 3 picks, nothing else."
  • Forgetting where it's going. AI loves bold titles, which paste as asterisks into a form or email. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Says how many picks
  • Gives the professor's criteria
  • Limits each reason
  • Says to use only the list
  • Asks for plain text

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