20 ChatGPT Prompts for Essays, Study Guides and Research Papers

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Summarize this academic text in your own structure -- not a paraphrase of each sentence, but the actual argument: what's the main claim, what evidence supports it, and what's the significance. Keep it under 200 words.

TEXT:
[paste the source text]

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Explain this passage as if to someone encountering the topic for the first time. Use one concrete example. Then tell me the one sentence from the original that captures the core idea.

PASSAGE:
[paste the passage]

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Read this argument and identify: the strongest piece of evidence, the weakest piece of evidence, and one counterargument the author doesn't address. This is to help me think critically, not to write my critique for me.

ARGUMENT:
[paste the text]

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Compare these two sources on [topic]. Where do they agree, where do they disagree, and what might explain the disagreement (different data, different definitions, different time periods, different assumptions)?

SOURCE A:
[paste]

SOURCE B:
[paste]

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Turn this chapter/reading into a structured outline with headers and sub-bullets, preserving the original logic and terminology rather than simplifying the vocabulary.

TEXT:
[paste the reading]

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Here are my study notes on [topic]. Write 10 practice questions based on them, ranging from basic recall to questions that require connecting two ideas. Don't include the answers yet -- I'll test myself first.

NOTES:
[paste your notes]

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I'm going to explain [concept] to you in my own words. Don't just tell me if I'm right -- ask me a follow-up question that would reveal whether I actually understand it or am just repeating a definition.

MY EXPLANATION:
[write your explanation]

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Here's my course syllabus and the date of my exam. Help me build a study schedule that allocates more time to topics that are typically harder or weighted more heavily, based on what the syllabus indicates.

SYLLABUS AND EXAM DATE:
[paste details]

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Turn these notes into flashcard-style question/answer pairs, one clear question per fact or concept, suitable for spaced repetition review.

NOTES:
[paste your notes]

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I'm going to summarize what I think I know about [topic] in my own words. Tell me what's missing or oversimplified compared to a complete understanding of the topic, without just giving me the full answer outright.

MY SUMMARY:
[write what you currently understand]

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Here's my assignment brief. Help me break it down into: what's actually being asked, what a strong answer would need to cover, and a rough structure I could use -- without writing any of the actual content.

BRIEF:
[paste the assignment instructions]

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Here's my thesis statement: [your thesis]. Is it specific and arguable, or too broad/obvious? What's one strong objection someone could raise against it?

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Here are my own research notes, in the order I collected them, not the order I'll use them. Suggest a logical structure for my essay based on these -- group related notes and propose a section order.

MY NOTES:
[paste your own notes and quotes]

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Here's my essay draft. Read it and tell me where the logic jumps -- places where a reader might ask "wait, how did we get from this point to that one?" Point to the specific sentence, don't rewrite it for me.

MY DRAFT:
[paste your own writing]

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Read my draft below and give me feedback only on structure and flow -- is the argument built in a logical order, does each paragraph earn its place, is anything out of order? Do not suggest new content or additional arguments, only comment on what's already there.

MY DRAFT:
[paste your own writing]

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Explain the rules for citing [source type, e.g. "a website with no listed author"] in [citation style, e.g. "APA 7th edition"], with one worked example. Tell me if this is a case where I should double-check my institution's specific style guide.

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Here's my reference list. Check it for formatting consistency (not accuracy of the sources themselves) against [citation style] -- flag entries that look inconsistent with the others.

REFERENCE LIST:
[paste your list]

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Based on this list of exam topics, generate 8 questions that would be reasonable to expect, at a mix of difficulty levels. This is for practice, not to guess the actual exam.

TOPICS:
[paste your topic list]

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I'm going to explain my own research/project to you in a few sentences, as if you were an examiner. Ask me one clarifying question a real examiner might ask, based only on what I've told you.

MY EXPLANATION:
[explain your work in your own words]

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Here's a summary of my thesis/project. What are 5 questions an examiner would likely ask, focusing on the weakest or most debatable parts of what I've described?

SUMMARY:
[summarize your own work]