Prompting Guidelines
Use these guidelines to get the most accurate, structured, and insightful responses from the SM Research Agent.
See the full, validated Trusted Questions list for example prompts grouped by function, level of specificity, and best phrasing.
Why trusted questions help
The trusted questions list has been validated against known sources of truth to guide you on:
- The types of questions to ask.
- The level of specificity to use in your questions.
- The best way to phrase questions to get the best / most accurate results.
Additional tips
Here are more tips to get the most accurate, structured, and insightful responses:
- ✅ Ask multiple questions that build on one another (instead of one large complex question). This lets you evaluate each answer to see what the agent is capable of answering. If the agent gets off course, you can guide it back or start a new chat session.
- ✅ Be clear and specific. Make your question focused and unambiguous. If you know exact assay names, use them.
- ✅ Ask for structured output. Guide the format of the response — “Show this as a table.” “Output this as CSV/SDF.”
- ✅ Use comparative or ranking language. If you want prioritization or analysis, ask for a comparison or ranking.
- ✅ Specify what to include (or exclude). Clarify what content you want — or don’t want.
Experimental vs. calculated data
For any prompt relating to physicochemical property data, the agent assumes the request is for experimental data unless otherwise indicated. To get calculated values, include the keyword calculated in your prompt.
Handling dates
The agent understands project designations and can handle temporal data, but it does not know the current date and will be confused by phrasing like “last month” or “last quarter”.
Specify the exact timeframe (e.g. January to March 2026) instead of relative phrasing. A future enhancement will improve recognition of statements like “last quarter”.
Examples of improved prompts
Original question 1
How many times has G03428012 been run in the reactivity of trapping assay?
Improved question 1
For compound G03428012, how many reactivity‑of‑trapping assay experiments have been performed? Please list each experiment date, trapping agent used, and any measured cysteine half‑life values.
Original question 2
What molecules show >50% inhibition of NIK in kinase panels?
Improved question 2
Show me all molecules that showed more than 50% inhibition in assays targeting NIK. Please include the compound name, concentration tested, and % inhibition in a table.
(Adds clarity, structure, and a desired output format.)