216 lines
6.6 KiB
Markdown
216 lines
6.6 KiB
Markdown
# Prompt Engineering Reference
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Complete reference materials for the 26 prompt engineering principles and advanced techniques.
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## Quick Navigation
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| Resource | Purpose | Best For |
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|----------|---------|----------|
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| [Prompt Principles Guide](prompt-principles-guide.md) | All 26 principles with examples | Complete reference |
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| [Principle Combinations](principle-combinations.md) | How to combine principles effectively | Advanced users |
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| [Anti-Patterns](prompt-anti-patterns.md) | Common mistakes to avoid | Troubleshooting |
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## The 26 Prompt Engineering Principles
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### Content & Clarity (Principles 1-2, 9-10, 21, 25)
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**What to say and how clearly**
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- **Principle 1**: No need to be polite - Be concise and direct
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- **Principle 2**: Integrate audience specification
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- **Principle 9**: Be clear about requirements (directness)
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- **Principle 10**: Use affirmative directives (Do X, not Don't do X)
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- **Principle 21**: Add detailed and descriptive information
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- **Principle 25**: Clearly state requirements
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### Structure & Organization (Principles 3, 8, 17)
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**How to organize information**
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- **Principle 3**: Break down complex tasks into simpler steps
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- **Principle 8**: Use delimiters to clearly indicate distinct sections
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- **Principle 17**: Specify desired format for structured input/output
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### Reasoning & Thinking (Principles 12, 19, 20)
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**How to guide model's thought process**
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- **Principle 12**: Use "do step-by-step" or "think step-by-step"
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- **Principle 19**: Use "chain-of-thought" prompting
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- **Principle 20**: Provide examples (few-shot learning)
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### Style & Tone (Principles 5, 11, 22, 24, 26)
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**How to express requests**
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- **Principle 5**: Adjust language complexity to audience
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- **Principle 11**: Employ role-playing or persona
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- **Principle 22**: Use natural, conversational language
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- **Principle 24**: Specify preferred answer format (bullets, paragraphs, etc.)
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- **Principle 26**: Use leading words (e.g., "Write a detailed...")
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### Advanced Techniques (Principles 4, 6-7, 13-16, 18, 23)
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**Specialized approaches**
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- **Principle 4**: Ask model to explain itself (for complex topics)
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- **Principle 6**: Use incentives or penalties (when appropriate)
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- **Principle 7**: Implement example-driven prompting (few-shot)
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- **Principle 13**: Elicit unbiased answers for sensitive topics
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- **Principle 14**: Ask clarifying questions to understand user needs
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- **Principle 15**: Test understanding with quizzes or problems
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- **Principle 16**: Use affirmative language
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- **Principle 18**: Clearly define learning objectives
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- **Principle 23**: Use multi-turn conversations for complex tasks
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## Quick Selection Guide
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### By Task Type
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**Technical/Code (Use Principles: 3, 7, 8, 12, 17, 19, 21)**
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```
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✓ Break down (3)
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✓ Examples (7)
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✓ Delimiters (8)
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✓ Step-by-step (12)
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✓ Format (17)
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✓ Chain-of-thought (19)
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✓ Detail (21)
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```
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**Creative/Writing (Use Principles: 2, 5, 11, 22, 24, 26)**
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```
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✓ Audience (2)
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✓ Complexity (5)
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✓ Role-play (11)
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✓ Natural language (22)
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✓ Format preference (24)
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✓ Leading words (26)
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```
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**Learning/Education (Use Principles: 5, 14, 15, 18, 20)**
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```
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✓ Complexity level (5)
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✓ Elicit questions (14)
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✓ Test understanding (15)
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✓ Learning objectives (18)
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✓ Examples (20)
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```
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**Research/Analysis (Use Principles: 3, 8, 12, 13, 19, 21, 25)**
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```
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✓ Break down (3)
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✓ Structure (8)
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✓ Step-by-step (12)
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✓ Unbiased (13)
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✓ Reasoning (19)
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✓ Detail (21)
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✓ Requirements (25)
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```
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## Principle Effectiveness Matrix
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| Principle | Frequency of Use | Impact Level | Complexity | Combine With |
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|-----------|------------------|--------------|------------|--------------|
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| 1 (Concise) | High | Medium | Low | All |
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| 2 (Audience) | High | High | Low | 5, 18 |
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| 3 (Breakdown) | Very High | Very High | Low | 8, 12 |
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| 7 (Few-shot) | High | Very High | Medium | 17, 20 |
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| 8 (Delimiters) | Very High | High | Low | 3, 17 |
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| 12 (Step-by-step) | High | High | Low | 3, 19 |
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| 19 (Chain-of-thought) | Medium | Very High | Medium | 12, 21 |
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| 21 (Detail) | Very High | High | Low | All |
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**Impact Levels:**
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- **Very High**: Transforms weak prompts to strong (3, 7, 8, 19)
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- **High**: Significant improvement (2, 12, 21, 25)
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- **Medium**: Situational benefit (1, 5, 11, 17, 24)
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## Common Combinations
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**The "Technical Stack"** (for code/technical tasks):
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```
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3 (Breakdown) + 8 (Delimiters) + 17 (Format) + 21 (Detail)
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```
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**The "Learning Stack"** (for educational content):
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```
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2 (Audience) + 5 (Complexity) + 18 (Objectives) + 20 (Examples)
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```
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**The "Reasoning Stack"** (for analysis/problem-solving):
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```
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3 (Breakdown) + 12 (Step-by-step) + 19 (Chain-of-thought) + 21 (Detail)
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```
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**The "Creative Stack"** (for writing/ideation):
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```
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2 (Audience) + 11 (Role-play) + 22 (Natural) + 26 (Leading words)
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```
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## Anti-Patterns to Avoid
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**Don't Do:**
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- ❌ Vague requests without context
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- ❌ Multiple unrelated questions in one prompt
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- ❌ Negative instructions ("don't do X" instead of "do Y")
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- ❌ Missing output format specification
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- ❌ No audience or complexity level
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**Do Instead:**
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- ✅ Specific requests with full context (Principle 21)
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- ✅ One focused topic per prompt (Principle 3)
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- ✅ Affirmative directives (Principle 10, 16)
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- ✅ Explicit format requirements (Principle 17)
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- ✅ Target audience specified (Principle 2)
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## Progressive Mastery Path
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**Level 1: Beginner (Start Here)**
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- Master: 1, 2, 3, 8, 21
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- Focus: Clarity, structure, specificity
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- Time: 1-2 weeks practice
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**Level 2: Intermediate**
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- Add: 7, 12, 17, 25
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- Focus: Examples, steps, format, requirements
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- Time: 2-4 weeks practice
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**Level 3: Advanced**
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- Add: 5, 11, 19, 20, 24
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- Focus: Complexity control, reasoning, style
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- Time: 4-8 weeks practice
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**Level 4: Expert**
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- Master all 26 principles
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- Create custom combinations
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- Teach others
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## Resource Roadmap
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1. **Start:** Read [Prompt Principles Guide](prompt-principles-guide.md)
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2. **Practice:** Try [Common Fixes](../examples/common-prompt-fixes.md)
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3. **Deepen:** Study [Principle Combinations](principle-combinations.md)
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4. **Avoid:** Learn [Anti-Patterns](prompt-anti-patterns.md)
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5. **Apply:** Use [Templates](../templates/) for common tasks
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## Success Metrics
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Track your improvement:
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- **Week 1:** Can apply 5 basic principles
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- **Month 1:** Consistently use 10-12 principles
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- **Month 3:** Master all 26 principles
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- **Month 6:** Create optimal combinations instinctively
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**Measurement:**
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- Compare before/after prompt quality scores
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- Track reduction in follow-up clarifications needed
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- Measure improvement in first-response quality
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- Monitor task completion rates
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---
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**Principles Covered**: All 26
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**Difficulty Levels**: Beginner → Expert
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**Practice Time**: 1-6 months to mastery
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