Question to analysis plan, before writing any SQL
researchDefines the metric, the population, and the comparison before anyone queries the warehouse.
Research brief where every claim has a source
Separates what is known, what is inferred, and what is unknown — with citations on the first two.
When to use it
Before making a decision that will be explained to someone else.
The prompt
Copy into your assistant
Produce a research brief on the question below using only the sources I provide.
Structure:
1. Answer in three sentences.
2. What the sources establish — each bullet ends with [source n].
3. What is inferred rather than stated — label each bullet "inference".
4. What remains unknown, and what evidence would settle it.
Rules:
- Never cite a source for something it does not say.
- If the sources disagree, say so in section 2 and give both positions.
- If the sources are insufficient to answer, say that in section 1 instead of filling the gap.
Question:
<question>
Sources:
<sources>What to change
Paste source text, not links. A model that cannot read a link will invent what it probably says.
Why it works
Forcing a separate 'inference' section is the difference between a brief you can forward and one you have to fact-check line by line.
More research prompts
- Summarise a paper without overclaimingSeparates what the paper shows, what it suggests, and what everyone will misquote.
- Customer interview to requirementsTurns a transcript into problems and constraints, and separates them from proposed solutions.
- Question to analysis plan, before writing any SQLDefines the metric, the population, and the comparison before anyone queries the warehouse.
Going deeper
- How to know your agent got worseRunning agents in production · Level 3
- When not to use an agentUsing agents · Level 2
- Judging a server before you install itMCP servers · Level 2