Prompts are the instructions or inputs given by a user to guide generative AI (GenAI) to produce content. This generated content, also called an “output,” can come in the form of text, images, music, or any other form of digital media. 

Adapted from University of Saskatchewan’s Generative Artificial Intelligence Guide under a CC-BY-NC-SA license. 

When using a GenAI tool, carefully consider what information you include in your prompt.

Do not upload or include the following in your prompts:

• Any personal information
• Instructor’s intellectual property (course content including PowerPoint slides, course outlines, lecture notes, or any other materials provided by your instructor)
• Any copyrighted materials (textbooks, articles, book chapters, videos, artworks, photographs, etc.) including full-text from Library resources

Why?

• Information entered into GenAI tools may be stored or used to improve future AI models, meaning you may be giving up control over what you share.
• Uploading or copying copyrighted content into AI tools may violate copyright law, breach RDP licensing agreements, or conflict with institutional policy.

Writing effective prompts involves understanding both the GenAI model's capabilities and limitations and using this knowledge to construct prompts that guide it toward producing the most relevant and high-quality results.

When constructing a prompt, it might be helpful to remember the adage "garbage in, garbage out." In other words, the quality of the output is dependent on the quality of the input. 

Adapted from University of Saskatchewan’s Generative Artificial Intelligence Guide under a CC-BY-NC-SA license.