Research Prompts: AI Prompts for Analysis, Summarization & Research Support

Source summary

Act as a research analyst. Summarize the following [article / paper / report] on [topic]. Provide: 1) the main argument or finding in 2 sentences, 2) the 3 most important supporting points, 3) the methodology used (if research), 4) one significant limitation or caveat, 5) the relevance to [my research area or question]. Source text: [paste].

Synthesis across sources

Act as a research synthesizer. I have read the following sources on [topic]: [briefly describe 3–5 sources and their main points]. Synthesize them into: common findings across sources, points of disagreement or tension, a gap that none of the sources fully addresses, and a synthesized conclusion about the current state of knowledge on this topic.

Always verify factual claims in the synthesized output against the original sources.

Research question generator

Act as a research methodologist. I am studying [topic] in the context of [field or industry]. My working research focus is: [describe what you think you want to study]. Generate 8 research questions that: range from descriptive to explanatory to predictive, are specific enough to be answerable with actual research, and identify the key variables or constructs involved. Note the research method most suited to each question.

Literature review outline

Act as an academic research advisor. Help me create an outline for a literature review on [topic]. The review is for [purpose — a dissertation / a journal article / a policy brief]. Structure the outline to: establish the scope and boundaries of the review, organize existing research by theme or chronology, identify major debates or turning points in the field, and position a gap for my original contribution. Suggest 5–7 section headings with a brief description of what each covers.

Interview question set (qualitative)

Act as a qualitative research specialist. Write an interview guide for a semi-structured interview study on [topic]. Participants: [describe the target participants]. Research question: [state your research question]. Include: 3 opening/warm-up questions, 8 core questions organized by theme, 3 follow-up probes for each theme, and 2 closing questions. Avoid leading questions and yes/no questions.

Competitive intelligence summary

Act as a business intelligence analyst. I need a structured summary of the publicly available information about [topic / competitor / market / technology]. Based on what you know from your training data: summarize key facts, identify areas of uncertainty or missing information I should verify, flag anything that may be outdated, and suggest 3 sources or research angles I should investigate further.

Always note that AI training data has a knowledge cutoff — verify anything time-sensitive from current sources.

Pattern extraction from qualitative data

Act as a qualitative data analyst. I have collected [interview responses / survey answers / user feedback] on [topic]. Here is a sample: [paste data]. Identify: the 3 most common themes, any surprising or anomalous responses, the emotional language patterns, and any tensions or contradictions in the data. Then suggest what further data collection would clarify the most important open questions.

Argument stress-test

Act as a rigorous academic critic. Here is my central argument: [state your argument or thesis]. Identify the 3 strongest counter-arguments or alternative interpretations. For each: state the counter-argument clearly, explain the evidence or reasoning behind it, and suggest how I might address or incorporate it into my work rather than ignoring it.

Build your own prompts

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