Mega Prompts in Action for Research: Perplexity Part 3 of 3

The only guide you need to ace Perplexity for your research needs...

In my last newsletter, I talked about the Perplexity features and how you can effectively use them in your research workflow. 

In today's newsletter, I will talk about some exciting prompts to maximize your research workflow without compromising your research quality. 

As the new term starts, I am offering a 20% Flash Sale on my Masterclass (valid for 48 hours only). Use the code MC20OFF at checkout.

Check what attendees have to say about it here.
Thank you Thilde for your comprehensive testimonial 🙏 here’s an excerpt:

Now, back to Perplexity ⬇️
(& btw you can get $10 off Perplexity if you sign up from this link)

Literature Search

Finding relevant literature is the first step in your research workflow. 

Prompt

Generating a prompt is easy when you use the following formula:

Role-Task-Context- Action.

As an experienced researcher specializing in [field of study] (Role), conduct a comprehensive literature search on [research topic] (Task). Begin by providing an overview of the current state of research in this field (Context). Then, systematically analyze and synthesize findings from peer-reviewed studies published in the last [X] years (Action). 

Example:

As an experienced researcher specializing in adolescent psychology and digital media (Role), conduct a comprehensive literature review on the effect of social media on the mental health of adolescents (Task). Begin by providing an overview of the current state of research in this field (Context). Then, systematically analyze and synthesize findings from peer-reviewed studies published in the last five years (Action).

Perplexity responds to your refined prompt by organizing all the relevant information. 

Optional follow-up

You can ask additional follow-up questions related to your previous research question.

Identify key trends, conflicting results, and gaps in the literature. Evaluate the methodological strengths and weaknesses of the most influential studies. Finally, suggest promising directions for future research and potential interventions to address [specific aspect of the topic].

Example:

Identify key trends, conflicting results, and gaps in the literature (Information). Evaluate the methodological strengths and weaknesses of the most influential studies. Finally, suggest promising directions for future research and potential interventions to mitigate negative effects.

Reading

Prompt: 

Acting as an expert in [relevant field] (Role), critically analyze the uploaded paper (Task). Provide a concise summary of the study's objectives, methodology, and key findings. Evaluate the robustness of the research design, including sample size, data collection methods, and analytical techniques. Assess the validity of the conclusions drawn and their implications for understanding [research topic]. Identify any limitations or potential biases in the study (Action). 

Example:

Acting as an expert in adolescent mental health and social media research (Role), critically analyze the uploaded paper (Task). Provide a concise summary of the study's objectives, methodology, and key findings. Evaluate the robustness of the research design, including sample size, data collection methods, and analytical techniques. Assess the validity of the conclusions drawn and their implications for understanding the impact of social media on adolescent mental health. Identify any limitations or potential biases in the study (Action). 

Drafting

As an experienced academic writer with 20+ years of specialized experience in [relevant field] (Role), create an outline for a research paper on [research topic] (Task). Structure the outline to include an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion sections (Action). 

Example

As an experienced academic writer specializing in adolescent psychology and digital media (Role), create an outline for a research paper on the effect of social media on the mental health of adolescents (Task). Structure the outline to include an introduction, literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion sections (Action).

If you want to elaborate further:

In the introduction, clearly state the research question and its significance. For the literature review, synthesize current knowledge, identifying key debates and gaps. In the methodology section, propose an ethical research design that addresses potential biases and protects participant privacy. Include placeholders for results, ensuring space for both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. In the discussion section, interpret findings in the context of existing literature and societal implications. Conclude with a summary of key points and suggestions for future research and policy. 

All the prompt examples have been personally tested by me. You can check these in action here. Let me know how you find these prompts in increasing the quality and productivity of your research.

Finally, this is the summary image for my 3-part Perplexity series:

When you ask a question that could benefit others, I address it in my newsletters.

You can send in your question either by clicking 'reply' or commenting on the post ⤵

This time, instead of a subscriber question, I’ll address a valid concern I’ve been hearing a lot about my Peer Reviewer GPT. Check details here.

And here’s my response ⤵

From what OpenAI says in their communications, ChatGPT does not give your content directly to someone else, nor can they reproduce your work exactly. LLMs work with abstract representations, not verbatim content. In any case, if the content is too confidential, I wouldn't run it through ChatGPT.

Additionally, I would also recommend that you always opt out from using your data for their model training, especially if you feel it’s confidential. Here's the screenshot to help you with that.

PS. This GPT has already generated 1000+ chats with 4.6 ⭐ rating in just 3 weeks- thank you so much for the support 🥺

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