How to Make ChatGPT Search Use High-Quality Sources
While ChatGPT's reliability has slowly been getting better, there are still a few problems you may come across when using it, particularly the quality of the sources it uses to source data. This happens because ChatGPT generates responses based on various inputs rather than always providing the most efficient results unless certain criteria are met. Although it takes a little bit longer sometimes, there are methods you can use to make sure you get the best answers based on high-quality sources and this guide will show you exactly how.
How to Make ChatGPT Search Use High-Quality Sources
If you’re unsure how to use ChatGPT Search effectively and want to improve the results you get, here are some things you can do. Typically ChatGPT uses links and data gathered from various Google websites. However, these are not always the highest quality or the most reliable sources available. This means you may want to look elsewhere and keep certain things in mind when asking a question to get the best possible answer.
For example, ChatGPT primarily retrieves data from countless websites, though it is quite often older data that it has been trained on. However, comparing this information with recent publications can result in widely different data sets and outcomes, due to a lack of updates or missing details.
This will reduce the reliability of its responses, particularly when dealing with breaking news or the latest research. To improve accuracy, the best approach is to define the type of sources you want. So when writing a prompt, you need to specify that you need information from peer-reviewed journals, academic sources, reputable institutions, or government websites. You don't just want any old junk website data.
This makes sure to give you data from trustworthy and high-quality sources. Just keep in mind that this can still have limitations, based on the topic as not all topics have these types of sources available. But for the most part, these instructions will guide ChatGPT to prioritize high-quality searches over generic responses.
Use Specific Instructions in Your ChatGPT Prompts for Betta Search Results.
If you need a proper citation or a reliable reference for your work, you can also get all of this with a well-structured prompt. Again you should request data from government agencies, academic research, or other verified platforms rather than unverified sources.
Here's a simple template prompt you can use to find what you're looking for:
"Provide information about "A Brief History of Time", referencing studies by Stephen Hawkings and other renowned researchers. Please include links to sources."
By including keywords such as “studies,” “research,” or similar terms, you ensure that ChatGPT prioritizes high-quality and relevant information. This approach increases transparency in responses and provides precise links to authoritative sources, improving the reliability of your work.
Ask for Recent Data & Updates For Better Results.
Although ChatGPT does not provide real-time information, it does attempt to update responses as much as possible based on recent sources. To ensure accuracy, always request links to the most recent sources available. The prompt structure remains essential in guiding ChatGPT to prioritize the latest information.
One way to do this is by specifying a time frame within your prompt. If you need information on neuroscience or recent advancements, request references from the last three years. For example:
"Provide information on the latest advancements in neuroscience from 2022 to the present. Please include links to sources."
While this is a really good way to get reliable data ChatGPT is still pretty average at getting accurate data from recent scenarios. Especially anything that might fall into the Breaking News category. But hot topic things like this are usually tricky to source good information about. It's also terrible at pulling up any political information.