AI Literacy & Writing Resources
Questions? Contact Us.
Writing Center
Dodie Forrest
Yakima Writing Center Director
DForrest@yvcc.edu
Jeff Gerhardstein
Grandview Writing Center Director
JGerhardstein@yvcc.edu
Yakima Writing Center
Glenn Anthon, Building #4
Rooms 125B and 177
509-574-4829
Grandview Writing Center
Grandview Main, Building #56
Room L101
509-882-7055
AI Literacy for Student Success
AI & Writing
ATTENTION: As a general rule, always revealânever concealâyour use of AI. Also, always follow the AI guidelines established by your instructors for the classes you are taking. Different instructors will have different policies. Make sure you know those rules and follow them!
- An artificial intelligence or AI is âa computer, computer system, or set of algorithmsâ that can âimitate intelligent human behaviorâ (âArtificial Intelligenceâ).
- Generative AI or GenAI is a category of AIs that can create things like âtext, images, audio, computer code, and moreâ (Sandhu).
- Large language models or LLMs are generative AIs that âperform language-related tasks specificallyâ (Sandhu).
For example, ChatGPT is an AI because it imitates human behavior, but it is specifically a GenAI because it can produce text, images, datasets, and more, and it is also an LLM because it performs language-related tasks like responding to written prompts.
Since GenAI can imitate human writing, you have to think carefully about how you use it. Dropping an essay prompt from your instructor into a generative AI like ChatGPT and expecting the program to write your whole paper for you is lazy, dishonest, and a good way to get kicked out of college. The same goes for cobbling together different AI responses into an âessayâ or mixing in your own writing with a lot of AI text without citing the AI. Ethical uses of AI employ it as a tool; unethical uses pass off the AIâs work as your own. Here are some examples of unethical, low-effort uses and some ethical, higher-effort ones.
Some Unethical Uses of AI
- just giving the AI your assignment
Unethical Prompt: âWrite an argumentative paper in which you take a position on a controversial issue of your choice and defend it.â
- getting the AI to do a summary of a book you didnât read
Unethical Prompt: âWrite a summary of The Things They Carried by Tim OâBrien.â
- having the AI generate peer-review feedback for you to use on a fellow studentâs draft.
Unethical Prompt: âHow could Marisol improve her essay?â
Some Ethical Uses of AI
- asking the AI for a list of possible topics for an argumentative paper
Ethical Prompt: âGive me a top 20 list of the most hotly debated social issues in the U.S. in 2024.â
- asking the AI to organize your own notes to help you think about a book you did read
Ethical Prompt: âCompile my notes into three bulleted lists, one for character notes, one for plot notes, and one for notes on important themes.â
NOTE: When you apply an AI to any part of your work, always âacknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable locationâ (âHow Do Iâ).
GenAI is not a credible source of informationâsee âHow AI Can and Will Screw You Over (If You Let It)â belowâbut sometimes you might want to put something produced by an AI into your work, such as when you are writing about AI and its creations or using it like a search engine to find credible sources. Here are a couple tips from the MLA for doing that safely and ethically:
- Always âcite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by itâ (âHow Do Iâ).
- Always âtake care to vet the secondary sources it citesâ (âHow Do Iâ).
For citing AI, the MLA recommends following its general citation template and using a description of the prompt for the âtitle of sourceâ element (âHow do Iâ). The APA recommends following their model for software and including the prompt in the narrative (McAdoo).
MLA
Works-Cited Entry:
âPlease define the term âskibidiâ as used by Gen Alphaâ prompt. ChatGPT, 13 May version, OpenAI, 6 Nov. 2024, chatgpt.com/.
In-Text Citation:
ChatGPT notes that ââskibidiâ can refer to a mix of humorous, unpredictable, or absurd elementsâ (âPlease define the termâ).
APA
References-List Entry:
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (May 13 version) [Large language model].
In-Text Citation:
When ChatGPT was asked to â[p]lease define the term âskibidiâ as used by Gen Alpha,â the resulting text explained that ââskibidiâ can refer to a mix of humorous, unpredictable, or absurd elementsâ (OpenAI, 2024).
AI will make stuff up.
A big problem with generative AI is that these âsystems are prone to inaccuracy, fabrication, bias, and attribution problemsâ (MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force). Basically, AI likes to BS. It can hand you fake sources, bad data, quotes no one ever said or wrote, and events that never happened. Double-check anything and everything you find through AI.
AI will plagiarize
The Modern Language Association (MLA) points out that âAI tools do not always cite sources or, when they do, do not always indicate precisely what a given source has contributedâ (âHow Do Iâ). Even if you cite information you got through the use of AI, there is absolutely no guarantee that the AI hasnât plagiarized from some other source. As a result, you could end up plagiarizing on accident if you rely on information given to you by AI. Try to find where the AI got its information, and then use that source instead.
Despite the ethical pitfalls and limitations of LLMs like ChatGPT, they can sometimes be useful tools and can also be a lot of fun to play around with. With that in mind, here are some prompt-writing tips from the pros at Harvard University Information Technology:
- âBe specificâ in order to âlimit the chances of inaccurate responses.â
- Have the AI role-play so it can answer your questions from a desired perspective. For example, if you ask it for a recipe, ask it to answer as if it were your personal trainer for a healthier meal idea.
- Specify the format you would like for the output.
- Describe in detail what you want and do not want in the output.
- Revise your prompts in response the AIâs output, tweaking your instructions as needed to help the AI get closer and closer to producing the desired output.
- Give feedback as if the AI were a peer, pointing out mistakes and noting things that worked well or need revision.
- If you get stuck, try asking the AI to tell you what things you could ask it or what else it might need from you to generate a better output.
Examples of Less Effective Prompts
- âHow do I make lasagna?â
- âIs my essay good?â
- âWrite a funny song about AI taking our jobs.â
- âWhatâs a limerick?â
- âGive me some good things to say in an interview.â
- âShow me a speech outline.â
- âGive me some sources about censorship.â
Examples of More Effective Prompts
- âGive me a recipe for an extra cheesy lasagna that uses ground beef instead of pork sausage and can feed four people at least.â
- âOkay, AI, here is my second draft of a personal narrative for my freshman comp class. Pretend youâre my instructor and give me some encouraging but honest feedback about how I could improve my descriptions for my final draft.
- âWrite a tongue-in-cheek parody of NSYNCâs 2000 hit âBye Bye Byeâ about how AI is going to take all our jobs and leave us all dependent on a universal basic income.â
- âGive me a classic example of a limerick and point out some important conventions of the genre as demonstrated in the example.â
- âAct as if you are the manager of a Safeway grocery store and you are interviewing applicants for a cashier position. Ask me some questions to see if Iâm right for the job.â
- âShow me an example of a formal outline for a ten-minute persuasive speech and explain what makes it âformal.ââ
- âGive me a list of twenty peer-reviewed journal articles or other academic publications about the historical effects of government censorship on artistic expression in the United States.â
âArtificial Intelligence.â Merriam Webster, 11 Nov. 2024, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/artificial%20intelligence
âGetting Started with Prompts for Text-Based Generative AI Tools.â Harvard University Information Technology, Harvard University, 30 Aug. 2023, huit.harvard.edu/news/ai-prompts.
âHow Do I Cite Generative AI in MLA Style?â MLA Style Center, Modern Language Association of America, 17 Mar. 2023, style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/.
âInitial Guidance for Evaluating the Use of AI in Scholarship and Creativity.â MLA-CCCC Joint Task Force on Writing and AI, 28 Jan. 2024, aiandwriting.hcommons.org/2024/01/28/initial-guidance-for-evaluating-the-use-of-ai-in-scholarship-and-creativity/.
McAdoo, Timothy. âHow to Cite ChatGPT.â APA Style, American Psychological Association, 23 Feb. 2024, apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt.
Sandhu, Jamie A. âWhat are LLMs and Generative AI? A Beginnerâs Guide to the Technology Turning Heads.â Schwarz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, University of Toronto, 25 Jan. 2024, srinstitute.utoronto.ca/news/gen-ai-llms-explainer.
GenAI Prompt Types, Tips, and Tricks
Some Types of Prompts from MIT
|
Prompt Type |
Description |
Example |
|
Zero-Shot Prompt |
Give simple and clear instructions without examples. Useful for a quick, general response. |
âSummarize this article in 5 bullet points.â |
|
Few-Shot Prompt |
Provide a few examples of what you want the AI to mimic. Helps the model learn your desired structure or tone. |
âHere are 2 example summaries. Write a third in the same style.â |
|
Instructional Prompt |
Include direct commands using verbs like "write", "explain", or "compare." |
âWrite an executive summary of this memo. Keep it under 100 words.â |
|
Role-Based Prompt |
Ask the AI to assume a particular persona or viewpoint. Useful for creativity and domain-specific responses. |
âYou are an MBA professor preparing a lecture outline...â |
|
Contextual Prompt |
Include relevant background or framing before asking a question. Helps the AI tailor responses to a specific audience or setting. |
âThis text is for an undergrad course on behavioral econ. Rephrase it in simpler language.â |
Adapted from â.â MIT Management STS Teaching & Learning Technologies, MIT Sloan, Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Framework for Prompting GenAI
The first component of the CLEAR Framework emphasizes the importance of conciseness in crafting prompts. A concise prompt removes superfluous information, allowing AI language models to focus on the most important aspects of the task, resulting in more pertinent and precise responses. Clarity is also crucial, as unclear or imprecise instructions may result in AI-generated content that does not meet the user's needs or expectations. Writing effective prompts requires ensuring that the question is specific and directed toward the desired response.
Examples: Use a more concise and explicit prompt such as "Explain the process of photosynthesis and its significance" instead of "Can you provide me with a detailed explanation of the process of photosynthesis and its significance?" Instead of requesting, "Please provide me with an extensive discussion on the factors that contributed to the economic growth of China during the last few decades", use a concise prompt like, "Identify factors behind China's recent economic growth."
The second component, logical prompts, emphasizes the significance of sustaining a logical flow and order of ideas within a prompt. A logically structured prompt enables AI models to better comprehend the context and relationships between various concepts, resulting in more accurate and coherent outputs. To create a logical prompt, ensure that the provided information follows a natural progression and that the relationships between concepts are evident.
Example: "List the steps to write a research paper, beginning with selecting a topic and ending with proofreading the final draft" is a logically structured question. A logically structured prompt could be, "Describe the steps in the scientific method, starting with forming a hypothesis and ending with drawing conclusions."
The third component, explicit prompts, underscores the need for clear output specifications in the queries posed to AI language models. Explicit prompts provide precise instructions regarding the desired output format, content, or scope, thereby reducing the likelihood of receiving unanticipated or irrelevant responses from the AI model. Include specifics about the type of information you seek and how it should be conveyed to make a prompt explicit.
Examples: Instead of, "Tell me about the French Revolution," an explicit prompt would be, "Provide a concise overview of the French Revolution, emphasizing its causes, major events, and consequences." Rather than prompting, "What are some renewable energy sources?", opt for a more explicit version like, "Identify five renewable energy sources and explain how each works."
Adaptive prompts emphasize the significance of adaptability in prompt engineering. Adaptability entails experimenting with various prompt formulations, phrasings, and temperature settings in order to establish a balance between creativity and concentration. It also necessitates adapting the AI model's responses to the specific requirements of each mission. When crafting adaptive prompts, be flexible and willing to attempt new approaches based on the performance of the AI model.
Examples: If an initial prompt such as "Discuss the impact of social media on mental health" elicits responses that are too general, consider a more focused and adaptable prompt such as "Examine the relationship between social media usage and anxiety in adolescents." If asking, "What are some ways to conserve water?" leads to generic responses, try a more targeted and adaptive prompt like, "List household practices for conserving water and their potential impact." If a prompt such as, "Describe the history of computers" yields too much information, use a more specific and adaptive prompt like, "Explain the development of personal computers from the 1970s to the 1990s."
Reflective prompts, the concluding element of the CLEAR Framework, emphasizes the significance of continuous evaluation in enhancing prompt engineering techniques. Adopting a reflective perspective enables users to evaluate the performance of their AI model based on user feedback and their own assessments, identifying areas for improvement and adjusting their approach accordingly. This mindset is vital for staying ahead of the curve and adapting to the ever-changing field of AI. Make it a habit, when using reflective prompts, to analyze AI-generated content and apply the insights obtained to future prompts.
Examples: After receiving AI-generated content on the benefits of a plant-based diet, evaluate the response's accuracy, relevance, and completeness. Use insights from the evaluation to refine future prompts, such as asking for more specific benefits or focusing on certain aspects of a plant-based diet. After acquiring an AI-generated list of strategies for effective time management, evaluate the relevance and applicability of each strategy. Consider the target audience's needs, and use this information to tailor future prompts to generate content that better addresses specific challenges or contexts.
Adapted from Lo, Leo S. âThe CLEAR Path: A Framework for Enhancing Information Literacy through Prompt Engineering.â .
Extra Tips (Stanford University IT)
Use a structured format, such as bullet points or numbered lists, to outline the key points or steps you want the AI to address.
Example: "List three benefits of AI in education and provide a brief explanation for each."
Encourage detailed and comprehensive responses by asking open-ended questions that require more than a yes or no answer.
Example: "How might AI technologies transform urban planning in the next decade?"
Use a series of connected prompts to break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps, guiding the AI through a logical sequence.
Example: First, ask the AI to define a problem, then follow up with prompts to explore potential solutions and implications.
Set constraints or parameters to limit the scope of the response, ensuring it meets specific requirements or criteria.
Example: "Provide a summary of AI ethics concerns in no more than 200 words."
Adapted with changes from âAI Demystified: What is Prompt Engineering?â
Checklist for Using GenAI Ethically
Adapted from âGuide for Students on the Ethical Use of Generative AI Tools.â .
To be an ethical user of AI tools, I must ask the following questions :
- I understand that building data centers, training AI models, and using GenAI harms the environment and marginalized communities.
- I understand that biases in the training data for GenAI can and do lead to biases in their output.
- I understand that some of the most widely used GenAI models were trained on the intellectual property of numerous creators without their permission.
- How and why am I going to use the tool? (To replace or enhance?)
- I use the AI tool to enhance my learning and creativity, not to replace it
- I use the AI tool for rote or procedural skills
- I use the AI tools when they are appropriate (see above) and not as a means to complete work at the last minute
- Have I been given permission to use the tool in that context?
- i use the AI tool only when it has been explicitly allowed by the instructor, and do not assume that it is permitted in all contexts
- When I am unsure if AI tool use is permitted, I seek clarification from my instructors
- Is my intention to learn or to just get a grade?
- I reflect on my use of the AI tool throughout the process
- I seek to understand how it enhanced my learning
- I seek to understand how it limited my learning
- Do I know how to use the tool?
- I understand the toolâs capabilities and limitations, as well as the terms, conditions, and privacy policies associated with the tool.
- Do I understand the strengths and limitations of the tool?
- I treat generative AI output as a secondary source of information that is not always accurate and take steps to critically evaluate its output
- I attribute ideas and products to their original author or source
- I check all AI output for accuracy by doing an external search for the original author
or source
- Are there other ways to do this without AI tools?
- Is the output biased? Is the output accurate (or is it hallucinating)?
- Is there a better prompt? Can I ask a different or better question?
- Am I acquiring the learning objectives of the course or assignment by using the AI tool?
- Are my original ideas present in my work?
- Am I spreading misinformation or perpetuating harmful ideas, biases, etc.?
- How did this assignment (and use of AI tools) help me advance my understanding of the content or learning objectives?
- Have I been transparent about my use of AI tools?
- I am transparent about where, how, and why I used the tool(s)
- I cite the tool(s) in my work
- I explain how I used the tool(s) in my work
- Have I cited original authors and sources appropriately?
- Have I cited my use of the AI tool appropriately?
- Have I plagiarized (knowingly or unknowingly)?
Questions? Contact Us.
Writing Center
Dodie Forrest
Yakima Writing Center Director
DForrest@yvcc.edu
Jeff Gerhardstein
Grandview Writing Center Director
JGerhardstein@yvcc.edu
Yakima Writing Center
Glenn Anthon, Building #4
Rooms 125B and 177
509-574-4829
Grandview Writing Center
Grandview Main, Building #56
Room L101
509-882-7055