Tips for Asking Good Questions

Asking good questions is key to getting helpful answers. This guide shows you how to get the most value from your questions.

Basic Tips

Be Clear

Clear, specific questions get better answers:

Not Clear	Better
"How is this paper?"	"What are the paper's main contributions and new ideas?"
"What does the methods section say?"	"How does the method in the paper work?"
"What did this experiment find?"	"How does the author's method compare to other methods in the results?"

One Question at a Time

Don't ask multiple questions at once. Break big questions into smaller ones:

Too Complex	Better
"What are the methods, results, and limitations?"	1. "What method does the paper use?" 2. "What results did they get?" 3. "What are the method's limits?"

Use Your Questions Wisely

Remember you can only ask 10 questions per chat. Plan your questions:

1. Start Big: First ask about the paper overall, then get into details
2. Focus on What Matters: Ask about the most important methods and results
3. Skip the Obvious: Don't ask about things you can find by skimming
4. Build on Answers: Let each question follow from the last answer

Types of Questions

Fact Questions

Ask about specific facts or data:

• "What data did they use to test their method?"
• "How did they measure their results?"
• "What were their main findings?"

Explanation Questions

Ask about complex ideas:

• "How does their method work?"
• "How is their approach different from others?"
• "How did they solve their main problems?"

Analysis Questions

Ask for deeper understanding:

• "What are the pros and cons of their method?"
• "How do the different charts in the results connect?"
• "Do their tests fully prove their ideas?"

Critical Questions

Question the paper's approach:

• "Are there problems with how they tested their method?"
• "Do their results really support their conclusions?"
• "Did they miss anything important?"

Questions for Different Research Stages

First Look

• "What problem does this paper solve? Why does it matter?"
• "What's the paper's main contribution?"
• "How does this connect to other research?"

Understanding Methods

• "What are the key parts of their method? How do they work together?"
• "What were they trying to prove with their tests?"
• "How do their main algorithms or models work?"

Looking at Results

• "What do their results show?"
• "What do the main charts and tables tell us?"
• "How do they explain what they found?"

Critical Review

• "What are the limits of their approach?"
• "How widely can their results be applied?"
• "What did they leave out?"

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Common Problems

Problem	Example	Issue
Too General	"What's good about this paper?"	Gets vague answers
Leading	"This method is clearly better, right?"	Makes the answer biased
Too Complex	Long questions with many parts	Hard to answer well

How to Fix Them

Problem	Fix
Too General	Be specific: "What's new about their method?"
Leading	Be neutral: "How does their method compare to others?"
Too Complex	Break it down into smaller questions

Questions for Different Levels

Beginner

• "Can you explain the main idea in simple terms?"
• "What's the background of this research area?"
• "What does [technical term] mean?"

Intermediate

• "How does their method work? What's new about it?"
• "How do their results support their ideas?"
• "What are the limits of their approach?"

Expert

• "How does [specific part] solve [specific problem]?"
• "How does this challenge current theories?"
• "How might this affect [related field]?"

Planning Your Questions

Smart Question Planning

• First Look: Check how complex the paper is
• Plan Ahead: Decide how many questions to use for each part
• Save Some: Keep 1-2 questions for follow-ups

When to Save Your Chat

• When you've got good answers to your questions
• When you're near the 10-question limit but have more to ask
• When you want to ask about different topics

After Saving

When you start a new chat:

1. Briefly mention what you learned before
2. Move on to new topics or go deeper
3. Connect to what you learned earlier

Common Questions

How to Get the Most from Limited Questions?

• Plan your main questions first
• Start big, then get specific
• Ask for more details if needed
• Save your chat when you need to ask more

What if the Answer Isn't Helpful?

Try:

1. Asking the question differently
2. Changing your level setting
3. Breaking it into smaller questions

Can I Save Good Q&A?

Yes, you can:

1. Copy individual Q&A from the chat
2. Copy the whole chat from the history page
3. Download chats as Markdown files