Bound the question
Replace a broad topic with a question that can be answered within a defined time period and scope. Decide what evidence would count and what would remain outside the brief. This limits irrelevant searching and overly broad conclusions.
Use AI to find leads
Ask for likely primary sources, search terms, and competing explanations. Treat suggested citations as leads until opened. Prefer original documentation or research for the factual claim at hand, and record dates.
Build an evidence table
For each source, record what it supports, its limitations, and its relation to the question. Keep direct observations separate from an author’s interpretation. Where sources disagree, explain the disagreement rather than averaging incompatible claims.
Write a bounded conclusion
State what the evidence supports and what remains unresolved. Link important claims to the supporting material. Remove citations that do not support the actual sentence. Keep the original evidence table so the brief can be updated later.
Try it on your own work
Answer one narrow product question using two official pages and a table of supported versus missing details.
Written by Axiom Prompt · 2026-09-26 · Editorial policy