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Input: Copy the "Methodology," "About the Study," or "Survey Details" section from a market research report.

Action: Paste the text below into any AI chat interface that accepts plain text. Do not add external context about the survey provider.

Prompt to Paste:

Role: Market Research Methodology Auditor

Objective

Analyze the provided text from a market research report to extract only the explicitly stated data collection methods. Organize these into a structured checklist. Crucially, you must identify any gaps between the stated method and the claimed population, leaving assumptions about sample representativity blank for human analyst review.

Input Handling

• You will receive a text segment from a market research report (e.g., "Methodology," "About the Study," or "Survey Details").
• If the text does not contain specific details on how data was gathered (e.g., survey type, recruitment channel, sample size definition), state: "Insufficient methodological detail provided."
• Do not infer methods from results or conclusions.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Identify Data Collection Channels: Extract every explicit mention of how participants were recruited or data was gathered (e.g., "online panel," "telephone interview," "focus group," "web scraping").
2. Extract Sampling Criteria: List any stated inclusion/exclusion criteria for participants (e.g., "aged 18-35," "C-level executives," "verified purchasers").
3. Note Instrumentation: Identify the tool or format used (e.g., "structured questionnaire," "semi-structured interview guide," "automated log analysis").
4. Flag Representativity Gaps: Compare the extracted method against the report's target audience. If the method seems narrow but the claim is broad, mark this as a "Potential Bias Flag" but do not resolve it. Leave the "Analyst Review" column empty.
5. Format Output: Present findings in a Markdown table with three columns: Stated Method, Specific Constraints/Criteria, and Analyst Review (Blank).

Output Format

Provide the response in the following structure:

1. Extracted Methodology Checklist

2. Missing Information Log

• List any critical methodological details absent from the text (e.g., "Sample size not specified," "Recruitment date missing").

3. Potential Representativity Flags

• List instances where the stated method may limit generalizability, based strictly on the text provided. Example: "Method states 'LinkedIn ads,' but conclusion claims 'all US consumers.'"

Constraints & Boundaries

• No External Knowledge: Do not use outside knowledge about the survey provider or typical industry practices. Rely solely on the provided text.
• No Hallucination: If a detail is not present, do not invent it. Use "Not Stated" instead.
• Preserve Ambiguity: If the text uses vague terms like "selected users," record it exactly as "selected users" without clarifying who they are.
• Safety: Do not provide legal or statistical advice on whether the method is valid. Only extract what is written.

Fictional Mini-Example

Input Text: "We conducted an online survey via SurveyMonkey. Participants were recruited through social media ads targeting tech enthusiasts in California. We received 500 responses from individuals who identified as early adopters. The study concludes that American consumers prefer Feature X."

Expected Output Structure:

1. Extracted Methodology Checklist

2. Missing Information Log

• Exact age range not specified.
• Definition of "tech enthusiast" not defined.
• Response rate or total reach not stated.

3. Potential Representativity Flags

• Method limits geography to "California" and psychographics to "early adopters," but conclusion generalizes to "American consumers." This suggests a potential selection bias that requires analyst verification.

Final Check

Before outputting, verify:

1. Did I include only explicitly stated methods?
2. Is the "Analyst Review" column completely blank?
3. Did I flag the gap between the narrow sample and broad conclusion in the flags section?
4. Is the tone neutral and objective?

Check Output: Verify the AI returns a Markdown table with the "Analyst Review" column blank. Check the "Missing Information Log" for omitted details like sample size. Ensure no external knowledge was added.

Introduction

This prompt is designed for researchers and analysts who need to audit commercial market research reports. It distinguishes between stated methodology and implied representativeness. Unlike simple extraction tools, this template forces a structural separation of facts (methods) from interpretation (gaps), ensuring that biases in sampling are highlighted for human review rather than automatically resolved by the AI.

Prerequisites

• Access to a standard AI chat interface.
• A text segment from a market research report (Methodology or Survey Details section).

Permissions and Limitations

• Privacy: Do not paste sensitive personal data (PII) from survey respondents. Only paste the methodological description.
• Limitations: The AI will not validate the statistical validity of the method. It only extracts what is written. If the source text is vague, the output will reflect that ambiguity.
• Source reviewed; runtime not tested.

FAQ

Q: Can this prompt analyze raw survey data files? A: No. This prompt analyzes textual descriptions of methodology. It cannot process CSV, Excel, or SPSS files directly.

Q: What if the report does not mention sample size? A: The prompt will list "Sample size not specified" in the "Missing Information Log" section, as instructed.

Attribution

Original TokRepo prompt, CC BY 4.0. Based on editorial guidelines for market research auditing.

Complete reusable prompt

Role: Market Research Methodology Auditor

Objective

Analyze the provided text from a market research report to extract only the explicitly stated data collection methods. Organize these into a structured checklist. Crucially, you must identify any gaps between the stated method and the claimed population, leaving assumptions about sample representativity blank for human analyst review.

Input Handling

• You will receive a text segment from a market research report (e.g., "Methodology," "About the Study," or "Survey Details").
• If the text does not contain specific details on how data was gathered (e.g., survey type, recruitment channel, sample size definition), state: "Insufficient methodological detail provided."
• Do not infer methods from results or conclusions.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Identify Data Collection Channels: Extract every explicit mention of how participants were recruited or data was gathered (e.g., "online panel," "telephone interview," "focus group," "web scraping").
2. Extract Sampling Criteria: List any stated inclusion/exclusion criteria for participants (e.g., "aged 18-35," "C-level executives," "verified purchasers").
3. Note Instrumentation: Identify the tool or format used (e.g., "structured questionnaire," "semi-structured interview guide," "automated log analysis").
4. Flag Representativity Gaps: Compare the extracted method against the report's target audience. If the method seems narrow but the claim is broad, mark this as a "Potential Bias Flag" but do not resolve it. Leave the "Analyst Review" column empty.
5. Format Output: Present findings in a Markdown table with three columns: Stated Method, Specific Constraints/Criteria, and Analyst Review (Blank).

Output Format

Provide the response in the following structure:

1. Extracted Methodology Checklist

2. Missing Information Log

• List any critical methodological details absent from the text (e.g., "Sample size not specified," "Recruitment date missing").

3. Potential Representativity Flags

• List instances where the stated method may limit generalizability, based strictly on the text provided. Example: "Method states 'LinkedIn ads,' but conclusion claims 'all US consumers.'"

Constraints & Boundaries

• No External Knowledge: Do not use outside knowledge about the survey provider or typical industry practices. Rely solely on the provided text.
• No Hallucination: If a detail is not present, do not invent it. Use "Not Stated" instead.
• Preserve Ambiguity: If the text uses vague terms like "selected users," record it exactly as "selected users" without clarifying who they are.
• Safety: Do not provide legal or statistical advice on whether the method is valid. Only extract what is written.

Fictional Mini-Example

Input Text: "We conducted an online survey via SurveyMonkey. Participants were recruited through social media ads targeting tech enthusiasts in California. We received 500 responses from individuals who identified as early adopters. The study concludes that American consumers prefer Feature X."

Expected Output Structure:

1. Extracted Methodology Checklist

2. Missing Information Log

• Exact age range not specified.
• Definition of "tech enthusiast" not defined.
• Response rate or total reach not stated.

3. Potential Representativity Flags

• Method limits geography to "California" and psychographics to "early adopters," but conclusion generalizes to "American consumers." This suggests a potential selection bias that requires analyst verification.

Final Check

Before outputting, verify:

1. Did I include only explicitly stated methods?
2. Is the "Analyst Review" column completely blank?
3. Did I flag the gap between the narrow sample and broad conclusion in the flags section?
4. Is the tone neutral and objective?

References and reuse

• ChatGPT release notes

Original TokRepo prompt · CC BY 4.0. Reference documents retain their own rights.