The key to using AI tools effectively is "prompt engineering,” or writing effective prompts to get what you want out of the AI. The CLEAR Framework can help guide you as you build your prompts: 

• Concise: Use simple, clear language and leave out unnecessary details. Prompts don't have to be short, but they shouldn't include unnecessary words.
  • Too wordy: “Can you talk about renewable energy and how it can be beneficial in various aspects like in terms of the environment, economy, and so on, and provide a detailed discourse on this?” 
  • Better: “List the benefits of renewable energy.”
• Logical: Structure your prompt in order and use connecting language to establish context and relationships between different pieces of the prompt.
  • “Start by describing the history of renewable energy. Following that, explain the current trends in renewable energy production. Finally, forecast the potential developments in the next decade.”
• Explicit: Be specific about what you want the AI to produce. You can set the length, tone, and reading level of the output; lay out instructions and define the format; provide examples; or assign it a role to play. The more precise you are, the better.
  • General: “Give me some ideas to market my library’s services.”
  • Better: “Act as a marketing expert who specializes in promoting library services. For our academic library, we would like to help new students learn more about our services, such as “Ask a Librarian” chat service, interlibrary loan, quiet study spaces, collaborative study spaces, and research consultation. Give me 20 promotion ideas that would minimize costs and time.”
• Adaptive: Be flexible in your approach. Co-create by responding to the AI tool’s output to bring it closer to what you want. You can adjust your phrasing and parameters or ask follow-up questions to get more details.
• Reflective: Think holistically about your experiences working with AI tools. Critically evaluate their responses and consider areas for improvement.

The CLEAR Framework was developed by Dr. Leo Lo. For more information:

Lo, L. S. (2023). The CLEAR path: A framework for enhancing information literacy through prompt engineering. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102720

These examples are from "CLEARer Dialogues with AI: Unpacking Prompt Engineering for Librarians.”

Listen to Dr. Lo explain the Framework in the video below (about 23:45-30:33):