Prompting Best Practices
The prompts used in CoAuthor will directly impact the accuracy of the responses. When prompting it's best to retain the following structure.
Context
Task
Formatting
Here are examples of prompts that make use of this structure.
"Using the attached clinical study, provide a concise overview of the background and objectives, including the research question and rationale. When answering, be concise."
"Using the attached clinical study, describe the study design. Include the type (e.g., randomized controlled trial, observational study), randomization methods, and blinding procedures. Answer using text directly from the study."
"From the attached study. Provide the patient recruitment process, including inclusion and exclusion criteria, and provide demographic information on the enrolled participants."
"As a medical writer and using the attached study. Provide the safety data, adverse events, serious event and any safety concerns that emerged during the study."
When prompting with CoAuthor, it's important to keep the following things in mind.
Keep the prompt as specific as possible and remove any filler words.
Provide as much context as possible in the "Context" portion of the prompt.
Make generous use of the formatting portion to ensure responses are in the desired style.
Provide correct spelling and grammar to ensure CoAuthor can interpret what is being asked of it.
If the response is not correct or is lacking desired aspects, rephrase the prompt and try again.
Prompting FAQs
Why is the response filled with unnecessary elaboration?
General prompts like “Summarize this section” can result in unnecessary elaboration. In instances where this is not needed it is best to add “Do not elaborate” or “Be concise” appended to the prompt. This shortens the response. Users can combine these two directives into “Do not elaborate and be concise.” Use multiple directives at once to ensure the response is formatted properly. It is beneficial to use overlapping directives like “Do not elaborate and be concise” to ensure CoAuthor doesn’t respond with extraneous text. In the case of these directives, adding more is never a bad, if the directives do not contradict.
Can CoAuthor only respond with text directly from the source?
Yes, to get CoAuthor to respond only with text directly from the source. To do this append the command “Only answer with text directly from the document” to the end of the prompt. User can also pair this directive with “Do not elaborate” to ensure that CoAuthor only responds with text directly from the source.
Can context be provided to CoAuthor via prompting?
Yes, providing further context is encouraged to ensure the accuracy of responses. Providing enough context via the section of the document attached and the prompt will result in better responses. There isn’t a perfect measure of how much context should be provided, however providing less is always the best starting point. Providing too much context will dilute the response.
Why is CoAuthor missing context?
Coauthor provides the ability to focus on specific sections of a document. However, it is important to be aware that pointing CoAuthor at a specific section of a document can dilute the context. Which is needed to provide an accurate response. In cases where context is lost, it’s best to reevaluate which sections you are prompting from. Additionally, providing additional context in the prompt will help curate the response.
How can I better direct CoAuthor to read tables?
Users may run into tables that CoAuthor has a hard time extracting information from. In these instances, it’s best to provide table details in your prompt. An example of this is:
“In the attached table the columns describe the various dosage groups while the rows detail AE’s experienced by the patients in the dosage groups.”
Can CoAuthor convert numbers to desired formats?
Yes, CoAuthor can be prompted to convert numbers to a desired output. For example, if a document supplies ratios and a percentage is needed you can add “Answer only with a percentage.” or if you want a decimal add “Answer only with a decimal.”
Why is the answer different if the prompt and source are the same?
Generalized prompts can result in CoAuthor having multiple ways to answer, resulting in responses that may be different even though the prompt and source hasn’t changed. It’s best to be as specific as possible when prompting. Additionally, users can direct CoAuthor to only respond with text directly from the source, which will keep answers more consistent.
Why is it taking a while for CoAuthor to respond?
There are multiple reasons why CoAuthor may be responding slowly. It’s best to start by ensuring you are only attaching the needed sections to the prompt, using the whole document will slow down responses. If slow response time persists, please reach out to support by going to the support portal and creating a ticket: Support Portal
Will CoAuthor remember previous documents?
No, CoAuthor does not carry context from one document to another. It’s important to make sure the proper sections are attached to the prompt even if you have accurately prompted the document in the past.
Are my prompts and the content they generate saved anywhere?
Yes. When you use a prompt to generate content, the prompt text, the generated output, and related metadata (such as source citations and generation timestamps) are retained as part of the document's version history. This is intentional — it gives you a traceable record of what was asked and what was produced, supporting audit and review requirements for regulatory submissions. This information stays within your organization's CoAuthor environment and is treated as your data.
Can CoAuthor interpret acronyms?
Yes, CoAuthor can recognize most acronyms without prompting. In cases where it may be getting the acronym wrong, users can provide CoAuthor with the acronym when prompting. For example, “The acronym AE means Adverse Effects” can be prepended onto the prompt.
Can prompt length effect response?
Yes, the more information provided can drastically change the quality of a response. It’s always best to be as specific as possible and remove any unnecessary words from the prompt.