Deep Background
Source: Check Please
Author: Mike Caulfield
Original source: https://checkplease.neocities.org/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Private backup: the full article text is archived in the private repository at archives/articles/checkplease-neocities-org-checkplease-neocities-org.source.md. It is not published on the public Quartz site.
Summary
This Check Please page introduces “Deep Background,” a reusable prompt meant to make LLMs behave more like research assistants than generic answer machines. The prompt is designed to surface context, conflict, chronology, and source comparisons so student researchers can build background knowledge while still retaining responsibility for their own conclusions. The page frames prompt design as an information-literacy scaffold rather than a replacement for judgment.
Big ideas
- Students need to check AI answers against real evidence
- Students need to bring the purpose; AI should not supply it for them
Claims
- Research prompts can support inquiry without taking over student judgment
- Students should check AI claims against trustworthy sources
Key evidence and examples
- The page recommends pasting Deep Background at the beginning of a chat or adding it to project instructions.
- It claims the prompt can reduce hallucinations and improve the sourcing of conflicting perspectives.
- It is framed as appropriate for student researchers because it supports inquiry without writing the final conclusion for them.
- Example research logs include contested claims about warfare, microplastics, asbestos in The Wizard of Oz, Eisenhower and Lumumba, historical bread adulteration, and gravity explanations.
- The page notes that effective use requires a search-enabled LLM and recommends strong models for the task.
Education relevance
This is relevant to research literacy, SIFT-style fact checking, AI-assisted inquiry, and classroom routines that help students gather context, compare evidence, and preserve their own judgment.