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Pull author-page cited claims from two readings for a discussion post
Practice: Keeping the AI to your sources. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
For your Sociology 150 discussion post on urban gardens, you want claims from the two assigned readings with citations. You want exactly 3 numbered lines, each a claim under 15 words ending with an author-page citation like "(Ramos, p. 22)". Use only the two readings, not the blog quote in your notes, and output nothing else in plain text.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Using the blog. The crime stat is the most striking line in your notes, and the AI may include it. Try: Say: "Only claims from the two readings."
- Sloppy citations. The AI cites 'Ramos 2023' without pages, or swaps pages between claims. Try: Show it: "End each with (Author, p. N)."
- Overstating a finding. The AI turns 'prices rose near gardens' into 'gardens raised prices'. Try: Add: "Don't claim more than the reading says."
- Not saying how many. The AI decides the length itself and usually returns more claims than you can use. Try: Be exact: "exactly 3 numbered claims."
- Getting markdown back. AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in the discussion board. Try: Ask for "plain text, no bold, no headings."
What a strong prompt includes
- Asks for page citations
- Rules out the blog
- Asks for both readings
- Says exactly how many
- Asks for plain text
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