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How to Write Good Prompts

Get better results by understanding how Labguru Assistant interprets your requests

Ilya letnik avatar
Written by Ilya letnik
Updated over a week ago

How the Assistant Understands You

The Assistant uses intelligent routing to determine the best way to handle your request. Different types of queries trigger different capabilities:

  • Search queries → Searches your Labguru data

  • Calculations → Activates mathematical processing

  • External lookups → Connects to scientific databases

  • General questions → Provides explanations and guidance

Best Practices for Clear Prompts

1. Be Direct and Specific

❌ Vague: "Show me information about PCR"
✅ Better: "Show me PCR experiments from January 2024"

❌ Too broad: "Help with calculations here"
✅ Better: "Calculate the dilution factor for 1:1000 in 50ml"

2. Include Context When Needed

✅ Good: "Find all antibodies in freezer B2 that expire this month"
✅ Good: "Compare yields from experiment EXP-2024-001 and EXP-2024-002"

3. Use Action Words

The Assistant responds well to clear action verbs:

  • Find/Search: "Find all plasmids with ampicillin resistance"

  • Calculate: "Calculate molarity of 5g NaCl in 200ml"

  • Show/List: "List all experiments tagged with 'CRISPR'"

  • Compare: "Compare protein concentrations across samples"

  • Explain: "Explain the principle of Western blotting"

Query Examples by Type

📊 Data Retrieval

  • "Show me all experiments using HEK293 cells"

  • "Find samples stored in liquid nitrogen"

  • "What protocols did Sarah use last week?"

🧮 Calculations

  • "Convert 5 μg/ml to nM for a 50 kDa protein"

  • "Calculate serial dilutions for 1:2 starting at 100mg/ml"

  • "What volume of 10X buffer do I need for 500ml at 1X?"

🔍 External Searches

  • "Search PubMed for recent CRISPR base editing papers"

  • "Find the molecular weight of glucose in PubChem"

  • "Look up the sequence for gene BRCA1 in NCBI"

❓ Troubleshooting

  • "Why might my PCR have failed with no bands?"

  • "Troubleshoot high background in Western blot"

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

❌ Don't Chain Multiple Unrelated Questions

Instead of: "Find my plasmids and calculate buffer pH and search PubMed for methods"
Do this: Ask each question separately

❌ Avoid Ambiguous References

Instead of: "Show me that experiment from last time"
Do this: "Show me experiment EXP-2024-15" or "Show me my latest PCR experiment"

❌ Don't Assume Memory Between Sessions

The Assistant doesn't remember previous conversations. Always provide full context.

Pro Tips

💡 Use Labguru terminology: Reference items by their Labguru names (sample IDs, experiment numbers)

💡 Specify time frames: "last week", "January 2024", "past 30 days"

💡 You can clear the thread using the 3 dots menu

💡 Iterate and refine: If the first result isn't quite right, refine your prompt with more details

Quick Reference

If you want to...Start your prompt with...Find items"Find", "Search", "Show me", "List"Get calculations"Calculate", "Convert", "What is"Search databases"Search PubMed/NCBI/PubChem for"Get explanations"Explain", "What is", "How does"Troubleshoot"Why", "Troubleshoot", "Debug"

Remember: The clearer your prompt, the better the Assistant can route your request to the right tool and provide accurate results.

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