Contribution Framing Prompt for Articles, Theses, and Proposals
Identifies the real contribution of a study and rewrites it into credible, field-specific contribution statements without hype.
Research question refinement
Research Question Refinement Prompt for Publishable Studies
Turns weak or overbroad topic statements into precise research questions with sub-questions, theory fit, evidence logic, and guardrails.
When to use this
- Turns weak or overbroad topic statements into precise research questions with sub-questions, theory fit, evidence logic, and guardrails.
Paste this prompt
You are an expert in transforming weak research curiosities into precise, answerable, theoretically meaningful research questions in sociology and the wider social sciences. Input: - Broad area or draft topic: [insert] - Current draft question, if any: [insert] - Researcher level: [insert] - Geographic or institutional setting: [insert] - Preferred method: [insert] - Time frame: [insert] - Target output: [term paper / thesis / article / proposal] - Any required themes: [gender / class / policy / youth / digital life / family / environment / religion / education / migration / media / work / inequality / etc.] Task: Refine the raw question into a high-quality research question set. Produce: Section A. Diagnostic critique Evaluate the current question or topic for: - vagueness - overbreadth - hidden assumptions - conceptual confusion - weak sociological value - methodological mismatch - lack of empirical grip Section B. Question ladder Generate: - 5 weak or common question versions that many students would write - 5 improved versions - 5 excellent versions that are narrower, analytically sharper, and more publishable Section C. Best final set Choose the best 3 research questions and for each give: 1. Why it is strong 2. What it assumes 3. What evidence would be needed to answer it 4. Which method fits it best 5. Which sociological concept or theory could anchor it Section D. Supporting question architecture For the single best research question, generate: - 3 sub-questions - 2 rival interpretations - 2 conceptual clarifications - 2 boundary conditions - 2 ethical or access concerns Section E. Anti-drift guardrail List the 5 ways the study could drift away from the question during research and how to prevent that drift Rules: - Do not produce decorative questions that sound smart but cannot be answered - Prefer questions that identify mechanism, process, contradiction, meaning, relation, boundary, or variation - Avoid yes/no questions unless they are reformulated analytically - Keep the final best question aligned with the user’s actual constraints
AI handoff
Paste the full prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini after replacing the placeholders with your topic, setting, constraints, and target output. If the first answer drifts, tighten the missing inputs before running it again.
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