Welcome to the Blog: A Bridge Between AI & Research (Let's Begin.)

The world of research moves fast, and so does technology. Every day, new tools, platforms, and AI-powered solutions emerge—each promising to revolutionize how we analyze and interpret data. But for researchers, librarians, policymakers, technologists, and everyday problem-solvers, time is limited. Their focus is on the work itself, not spending hours learning every new tool that comes along.

That’s where this blog comes in.

I created this space as a bridge between AI and research, making ChatGPT and prompt engineering accessible, practical, and effective for those who don’t have the luxury of hiring a data scientist or a research team. The goal is to provide strategies, techniques, and methods that deliver high-quality insights—just as if you had an analyst at your side. However, that’s not where my work ends…

This blog isn’t just about using ChatGPT and prompt engineering to save time—it’s about ensuring that research ins’t compromised in the process. My niche and expertise involves developing strategies that check the machine, rather than the machine relying on its own internal logic and large language model in isolation. These techniques aim to help researchers verify, cross-check, and maintain accuracy within their work.

My mission is to provide easy-to-use methods that give researchers peace of mind, knowing they can harness AI without sacrificing the integrity of their work.

To demonstrate these techniques, I use UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies Library’s collection of government documents, but the applications go far beyond government documents. Whether you're researching public policy, medicine, technology, history, or any other field, these methods can help you extract insights, analyze documents, and make research more efficient.

How to Navigate This Blog

• Posts labeled “Getting Started” introduce a topic in a beginner-friendly way.

• Other posts dive deeper into advanced strategies and applications.

I’d like to add that the techniques and methods I share aren’t rigid formulas you have to follow—they’re meant to showcase ChatGPT’s capabilities and inspire your own approach. My goal is to help you see what’s possible so you can adapt these strategies to fit your unique research needs.

In the meantime, if you are completely new to ChatGPT, checkout this blog post: “Getting Started with ChatGPT: Understanding Large Language Models in Simple Terms”.

My name is Nick, and I enjoy teaching and speaking about the intersection of research, ChatGPT, and prompt engineering. My work focuses on developing easy-to-use frameworks and strategies that ensure AI doesn’t just generate answers, but also verifies and checks itself—helping researchers use ChatGPT more effectively and responsibly. If you have questions, need help setting up, or want to improve your prompts, feel free to reach out—I’d love to help!