Prompt Research

Research brief

A one-line prompt that turns any topic into a 200-word summary, 5 key facts with source links, and 3 open questions experts still debate.

  • 🤖 Perplexity, Gemini, ChatGPT, Grok
  • 🗂️ Research

FoxaMind original · written and tested by the FoxaMind team

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Research brief — prompt preview

The prompt

prompt 
Research [topic]. Give a 200-word summary, 5 key facts each with a source link, and 3 open questions experts still debate.

What it is

This is a short, reusable AI prompt. You replace [topic] with a subject, and it asks for a fixed three-part brief: a 200-word summary, five key facts each with a source link, and three open questions that experts still debate. The fixed structure gives a quick, consistent overview of an unfamiliar subject.

Who it's for

  • Developers who need a fast orientation on an unfamiliar technology or concept
  • Students and researchers starting a literature search
  • Writers and analysts who want a starting point with sources to follow up
  • Team leads preparing a short briefing on a topic

Requirements

Requirements

  • Access to an AI assistant or chat model that accepts text prompts
  • A specific topic to put in place of [topic]
  • Willingness to open and check the source links the response provides

Examples

Technology topic

Prompt
prompt
Research WebAssembly outside the browser. Give a 200-word summary, 5 key facts each with a source link, and 3 open questions experts still debate.

Expected output: A roughly 200-word overview of server-side and edge use of WebAssembly, five sourced facts, and three unresolved questions.

Science topic

Prompt
prompt
Research the gut microbiome and mental health. Give a 200-word summary, 5 key facts each with a source link, and 3 open questions experts still debate.

Expected output: A concise summary of the current understanding, five facts with links to sources, and three points of ongoing scientific debate.

Economics topic

Prompt
prompt
Research universal basic income pilot programs. Give a 200-word summary, 5 key facts each with a source link, and 3 open questions experts still debate.

Expected output: A short overview of pilot programs, five facts each linked to a source, and three questions economists and policy researchers still disagree on.

Pros & cons

Pros

  • Pro:Fixed three-part structure gives consistent, scannable output
  • Pro:Each of the five facts is requested with a source link, which makes follow-up checking possible
  • Pro:The open-questions section shows where a topic is still contested
  • Pro:The 200-word limit keeps the summary short
  • Pro:Works for any subject because only [topic] changes

Cons

  • Con:The prompt does not specify audience, depth or tone, so results may vary in level
  • Con:It sets no date range or source-quality criteria, so source choice is left to the model
  • Con:It does not say what to do if fewer than five well-sourced facts exist
  • Con:Source links in the output still need manual verification

Tips

  • Make the topic specific, for example a subfield or a question, instead of a single broad word
  • Open every source link and check that it supports the fact
  • Count the facts and questions to confirm the response followed the 5 and 3 requirements
  • Ask a follow-up about any fact or open question you want to explore further

Variations

  • Change the numbers, for example a 100-word summary, 3 facts and 2 open questions for a shorter brief
  • Add an audience, such as "explain for a beginner" or "for a senior engineer"
  • Ask for a specific time frame, such as sources from the last five years
  • Ask for the output in a set format, such as a bulleted list or a table
  • Ask for a short list of terms to search next