Prompting with CLEAR and researching with the library
In plain termsA prompt is just the instructions you give an AI. Vague prompts get vague answers. CLEAR gives you five habits: be Concise, Logical, Explicit, Adaptive, and Reflective. You don’t have to get it perfect the first time — the real skill is reading the answer, then revising your prompt.
CLEAR: five habits make a prompt clear
CLEAR is Leo S. Lo’s framework for prompting. Five habits, one per letter, turn a vague request into a prompt a model can act on.
- CConciseCut extra words
- LLogicalPut steps in order
- EExplicitSay format, role, tone
- AAdaptiveRevise after results
- RReflectiveFact-check and learn
Takeaway: Each habit tightens the prompt, and reflecting on each attempt feeds the next one.
Sources: Lo, L. S. (2023). The CLEAR path. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102720
In plain termsChatGPT writes from patterns and can invent sources that look real. The library’s AI-assisted search answers from actual scholarly articles you can open, read, and cite. A smart workflow uses both: brainstorm keywords with AI, then find and confirm real sources through the library.
Ask the library: AI-assisted search
Type a question in plain English. Get a short answer built from scholarly sources. Different from ChatGPT: it answers from the library’s scholarly articles.
- 1Ask
Log in and type your research question.
- 2Search
AI turns it into library searches.
- 3Summarize
You get a short overview of five articles, with references.
- 4Verify
Open the articles. Check every claim.
Sources: Ex Libris Primo Research Assistant documentation; Zahnow Library, SVSU.
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