To create effective prompts after problem formulation, it’s helpful to know that a prompt doesn't have to be a question.

It can be a phrase, a command, a statement, or a series of keywords. Here are some examples of prompts and the functions they serve, created and licensed by the Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation (CTEI, Rush University) under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- ShareAlike 4.0 International License:

Purpose	Prompt
Feedback and self-assessment	Provide feedback on the following writing sample: [insert sample]. Specify how well the writing sample meets the following criteria [insert criteria/rubric] and give me suggestions for how I can improve my writing.
Personalized/adaptive learning	I am trying to improve my knowledge of [subject/task]. Ask me a question about [subject/task/topic] and keep asking me adaptive questions to help me improve.
Explain/summarize information at different levels of understanding	Explain the concept of genetic mapping as if I am in fifth grade.
Proofread writing	Proofread my writing above. Fix grammar and spelling mistakes. And make suggestions that will improve the clarity of my writing. But don’t rewrite the example for me – just give me ideas so that I can learn how to do it myself.
Role-playing	I will play the role of clinician, and you will play the role of a patient, a 55-year-old female adult with recent onset of chest pain. Rate my conversation with the patient based on [enter criteria or framework].
Image generation	Create an image of human lung anatomy. Illustrate the thoracic cavity, lobules, alveoli and pleura.
General research query	Identify any clinical trials that are currently investigating the effects of microbiome interventions in Alzheimer’s disease. Include citations” OR "What are five research ideas for a student project relevant to a college course on sleep? I will have three weeks to collect data, two weeks to analyze, and one to write up.

As CTEI explains, a prompt generally involves some sort of instruction or request you are asking of the tool. A good place to start from is a role, aim, optimal output equation such as: “Act like” + “provide a” + “define an objective” + “define your ideal format.”

But don’t stop there: prompts are continually refined by the user according to what information the user is trying to generate. For example, you may desire more specific feedback than what you receive upon entering any one of the prompts above, or you may want to change the direction of your query. If so, you can refine your prompt by asking more specific questions or directing the tool to complete a narrower or alternate task.

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Please read this very short summary regarding prompt optimization from Times Higher Education (THE):
An introduction to prompting generative AI like ChatGPT for teaching and learning

Please skim this resource regarding the same (also from THE) but relating to research:
ChatGPT and generative AI: 25 applications to support research