Claude Prompts for Research
Claude excels at handling long documents and nuanced analysis. These prompts are designed to take advantage of Claude's strengths—whether you're summarizing academic papers, comparing frameworks, or identifying counterarguments in dense text.
Last updated · By the Prompt Orange team
Prompt examples you can copy & use
Summarise a paper
“Summarize this paper”
Too vague—AI has to guess what you want
“Summarize the following research paper [paste full text or PDF] for a non-academic audience. Include: main research question, methodology (2 sentences), key findings (3-4 bullets), limitations, and one practical implication. Max 300 words.”
Specific, clear, ready to use
Compare two topics
“Compare these topics”
Too vague—AI has to guess what you want
“Compare agile vs. waterfall project management methodologies. Structure: 2-column table covering: philosophy, process, best use cases, pros, cons. Then add a 3-sentence recommendation for when to use each. Cite specific differences, not vague generalities.”
Specific, clear, ready to use
Identify counterarguments
“What are the downsides?”
Too vague—AI has to guess what you want
“Read the following opinion piece [paste text]. Identify 4 potential counterarguments someone from the opposing view might raise. For each: state the counterargument, explain its logic, and rate its strength (weak/medium/strong).”
Specific, clear, ready to use
Create a reading list
“Find me resources”
Too vague—AI has to guess what you want
“Create a curated reading list for someone learning about behavioral economics. Include: 3 foundational books (with 1-sentence descriptions), 5 key academic papers, 3 accessible blog posts or articles. Organize from beginner to advanced.”
Specific, clear, ready to use
Tips for using Claude for research
Claude handles long documents well—paste the full text rather than summarizing yourself
Use structured output requests (tables, bullets, sections) for easier scanning
Try XML tags for complex prompts: <document>...</document>, <task>...</task>
Ask Claude to flag where it's making assumptions or inferences
Request citations or sources when you need to verify claims