For seminars and reading-heavy classes, the prompt should preserve the author's structure. Ask AI to separate the central claim, supporting evidence, definitions, objections, and passages you still need to reread.
Best uses
- Preparing for discussion without faking comprehension.
- Finding the central claim and subsidiary claims.
- Turning dense readings into retrieval questions.
- Tracking what each source actually supports.
Copyable starter prompt
You are helping me study an assigned reading.
Use only the reading notes I paste below. Build a study note with:
1. the author's central claim,
2. the supporting claims in order,
3. key terms and definitions,
4. evidence or examples used by the author,
5. objections, tensions, or unresolved questions,
6. five discussion questions,
7. five retrieval questions I can answer later.
Do not invent context that is not in my notes. Mark anything uncertain as "needs reread" and tell me which passage or section to revisit.How to use the output
Start with the claim outline before you read the summary. If you cannot explain how one supporting claim leads to the next, the reading is not actually in memory yet. Turn those weak links into retrieval questions and bring the unresolved questions to class.
For papers with evidence, add a second pass that asks what each quoted passage proves and what it does not prove. That keeps a confident AI summary from replacing the author's actual argument.