Answer the question below as accurately as possible. Treat accuracy as more important than speed, completeness, or sounding confident. Question: [QUESTION] Context and intended use: [CONTEXT AND USE] Location or jurisdiction, if relevant: [LOCATION OR JURISDICTION] Time period or “as of” date: [AS-OF DATE] Sources or materials I want considered: [PROVIDED SOURCES] Required output depth: [OUTPUT DEPTH] Work in this order: 1. State the direct answer in 2–5 sentences, limited to what can be supported. 2. List the key facts, each tagged as one of: supported by my materials, generally established knowledge, current information requiring verification, or uncertain. 3. Explain assumptions you made because my question or sources were incomplete. 4. Where current or specialized information matters, name the authoritative source type to check, such as an official regulator, statute, product documentation, peer-reviewed paper, or primary dataset. Do not fabricate citations, links, statistics, quotations, or case names. 5. If credible sources disagree, describe the disagreement and what would resolve it. Do not force a single conclusion. 6. Give practical next steps only when they follow from the evidence. For health, legal, tax, investment, safety, or other high-stakes matters, provide general information and identify when a qualified professional should review the situation; do not present a diagnosis, legal conclusion, or personalized financial instruction as certain. Output format: “Direct answer,” “What supports it,” “Limits and assumptions,” “What to verify,” and “Next steps,” in [OUTPUT DEPTH]. Before answering, check that every factual claim is either supported, clearly labeled as uncertain, or removed. Also check that no date-sensitive claim is presented as current without an as-of date or a verification instruction. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [QUESTION] | Write the exact question you need answered. | Does a New York employer have to pay out unused vacation when an employee resigns? |
| [CONTEXT AND USE] | Explain the decision, project, or audience that makes the answer useful. | I am preparing questions for a small-business HR adviser, not making a final policy decision. |
| [LOCATION OR JURISDICTION] | Provide the country, state, industry, or other governing context if it affects the answer. | New York State; private employer. |
| [AS-OF DATE] | State the relevant date or say that current information must be verified. | Verify rules current as of September 2026. |
| [PROVIDED SOURCES] | Paste links, excerpts, notes, or say that no source material is available. | Our handbook says accrued vacation is paid on separation unless management approves an exception. |
| [OUTPUT DEPTH] | Specify a short answer, detailed memo, comparison table, or another format. | A short memo with a verification checklist. |
How to use
- State the time, place, and intended decision; accuracy questions often fail because one of these is unstated.
- Paste source excerpts instead of relying on a model’s recollection of a policy or contract.
- Treat “What to verify” as a checklist, especially for changing rules, prices, product behavior, and medical or legal matters.
- Follow up with: “Now identify the two claims in this answer with the highest consequence if wrong and tell me how to verify each.”
Variations
Source comparison
Use when two or more sources appear to conflict.
Compare [SOURCE A] and [SOURCE B] to answer [QUESTION] for [USE CASE]. Extract each source’s claim, date, scope, evidence, and possible conflict. Do not treat a newer source as automatically correct; note authority and whether each source addresses the same situation. Output a comparison table, a cautious conclusion, and a list of facts that require a primary source. Do not invent citations. Ask up to 3 questions only if an input is missing.
Research brief
Use when you need a fact-checked starting memo on a subject.
Prepare a research brief on [TOPIC] for [AUDIENCE], current through [AS-OF DATE]. Cover [SPECIFIC QUESTIONS]. Separate established facts, disputed points, estimates, and open questions. For every quantitative or date-sensitive claim, identify the primary source or official dataset that should support it; do not make up figures or references. Output a 500-word brief plus a verification checklist. Ask up to 3 questions only if a required input is missing.
Claim audit
Use when you already have a draft answer and need to assess its reliability.
Audit [DRAFT ANSWER] against [SOURCE MATERIAL] for [AUDIENCE]. Create a table with each material claim, its support, its confidence level, and the exact edit needed if unsupported, overstated, outdated, or ambiguous. Do not rewrite facts to make them sound stronger. Then provide a corrected version of no more than [WORD COUNT] words. Flag any legal, health, financial, or safety claim needing professional review. Ask up to 3 questions only if needed.
Tips
- Ask for an as-of date whenever the answer could change, including laws, product capabilities, prices, leadership, and policy.
- Primary material usually beats summaries: use the contract, government page, study, filing, manual, or dataset that actually governs the claim.
- A model can explain a source but cannot validate a source you did not provide or inspect; keep important verification outside the chat.
- Make the consequence of being wrong explicit so the answer can calibrate its caution and escalation advice.
FAQ
Can a prompt guarantee that ChatGPT is correct?
No. It can make uncertainty visible, prevent unsupported invention, and create a useful verification plan, but important claims still need source checking.
Should I ask the AI for citations?
Yes, but require it not to invent them and verify each one. For high-stakes questions, ask for primary or official sources rather than a long list of secondary articles.
Why does the prompt ask for jurisdiction?
Rules and advice can differ by country, state, industry, contract, and organization. A correct general answer may be wrong for your situation.