# Review a draft before you send it: prompt chain Give a draft one pass for writing and one pass for substance, then hand back a short ranked list of fixes, so you know what must change before it goes out. **Made for:** Anyone who sends written work to a manager, client or partner and wants it checked first. ## Before you start Have these ready: - **The draft** (required): Paste the full draft as it stands now. - **Who will read it and what it is for** (required): For example "Department head, deciding whether to approve a budget change". - **Sources or notes the draft relies on** (optional): Paste any data, notes or documents the claims come from. Leave empty if you have none; claims will then be checked only against what the draft itself cites. **How to use this chain** 1. Open a new chat in any AI assistant. 2. Copy the Step 1 prompt, replace every [PASTE HERE: ...] slot with your material, and send it. 3. Keep each answer: later steps ask you to paste it in. Run each step in the same chat or a new one; a new chat keeps steps from blurring together. 4. After a step that has a check, run the check before you move on. ## Step 1: Writing pass Check the draft for clarity, order, length and tone for its reader. Copy this prompt: ````text You are a senior editor who reviews drafts for busy readers. Your task is to review only the writing of the draft below: clarity, order, length, tone and wording. Do not judge whether the facts are right; that is a separate pass. Who will read it and why: [PASTE HERE: Who will read it and what it is for] The draft: [PASTE HERE: The draft] Look for: - the main point or ask arriving late or not at all, - sentences that are long, vague or hard to follow, - tone that does not suit this reader (too casual, too pushy, too stiff), - repeated points, filler and jargon this reader may not know. Rules: - Point to the exact words, quoted from the draft. - Suggest a concrete fix for each problem, not just "make this clearer". - Do not rewrite the whole draft. Do not comment on facts or numbers. - Find no more than 10 problems; pick the ones that matter most for this reader. Return one markdown table and nothing else: | # | Where (quote) | Problem | Suggested fix | ```` **You get back:** A table of writing problems, each with the exact words and a suggested fix. ## Step 2: Substance pass List each claim in the draft and mark whether it is backed by a source. Copy this prompt: ````text You are a fact checker who reviews drafts before they go to decision makers. Your task is to list every claim in the draft that a reader might rely on (numbers, results, promises, comparisons, statements about people or plans), and mark whether each one is backed. Who will read it and why: [PASTE HERE: Who will read it and what it is for] The draft: [PASTE HERE: The draft] Sources or notes the draft relies on (may be empty): [PASTE HERE: Sources or notes the draft relies on] Rules: - Mark a claim "sourced" only if the sources above support it, or the draft itself names where it comes from. Otherwise mark it "unsourced". - If a number in the draft differs from the sources, mark it "unsourced" and say what the source says. - Also note any gap in the reasoning, such as an ask with no reason given, or a cost with no basis. - Do not judge the writing style. Do not invent sources. Return one markdown table, then a short list: | # | Claim (quote) | Status | Backing or what is missing | The Status column must say exactly sourced or unsourced. Gaps in reasoning: (bullets, or "None") ```` **You get back:** A table of claims marked sourced or unsourced, and a list of gaps in the reasoning. **Check after Step 2: Each claim is marked sourced or unsourced** Check by eye: Every row of the table has one of "sourced" or "unsourced" in the Status column. If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. ## Step 3: Ranked fix list Combine both passes into one short list of fixes, most important first. Copy this prompt: ````text You are a trusted colleague giving a final review before a draft is sent. Your task is to combine the two reviews below into one ranked list of fixes for the writer. Who will read it and why: [PASTE HERE: Who will read it and what it is for] Writing review: [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 1 (Writing pass)] Substance review: [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 2 (Substance pass)] Rate each fix with exactly one word: - must: sending without this fix could mislead the reader, lose the ask, or cause harm, - should: the draft is clearly weaker without it, - nice: a small polish. Rules: - Every unsourced claim becomes a fix (add a source, soften the claim or remove it). - Put all must fixes first, then should, then nice. - Join duplicates. Keep the list to 12 fixes or fewer. - Do not rewrite the draft and do not add new problems that neither review found. Return one markdown table, then one line: | Rank | Rating | Fix | Where (quote) | Why it matters | Ready to send after the must fixes? (yes or no, and one sentence why) ```` **You get back:** One ranked table of fixes rated must, should or nice, and a yes or no on whether it is ready to send. **Check after Step 3: Each fix is rated must, should or nice** Check by eye: Every row of the table has one of "must", "should" or "nice" in the Rating column. If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. ## Final checks Run these on the finished result. **Final check 1: Every quoted place is really in the draft** Check by eye: Every quote in the Where (quote) column appears word for word in the draft. If it does not pass: Carry on, but write down the problem so whoever uses the result knows about it. **Final check 2: The must fixes are truly must** Open a new chat (so the check is not swayed by the work) and paste this check prompt: ````text You are a careful reviewer. You do not fix or rewrite the work; you only decide whether it passes one check. The check: The must fixes are truly must Look at every fix rated must. Would sending the draft below without that fix really risk misleading the reader, losing the ask, or causing harm? Answer FAIL if any must fix is only a style preference. The draft: [PASTE HERE: The draft] The work to check (the answer from Step 3 (Ranked fix list)): [PASTE HERE: the answer from Step 3 (Ranked fix list)] Reply with exactly PASS or FAIL on the first line. On the second line, say in one sentence why. If it fails, name the exact item or line that fails. Do not add anything else. ```` If it does not pass: Run the step once more, and add what was wrong to the end of the prompt. If it still does not pass, fix it by hand and make a note of it. **Final check 3: You agree with the top fixes** Ask yourself: Read the must fixes. Do you agree with each one, and do you know how to make it? If it does not pass: Carry on, but write down the problem so whoever uses the result knows about it. ## What you end up with - A ranked list of fixes, each rated must, should or nice, pointing to the exact words in the draft. - A table of the draft's claims, each marked sourced or unsourced. - A yes or no on whether the draft is ready to send after the must fixes. ## Changing this chain - For a document with a required format (a proposal section, a policy brief), add the format's rules to the Writing pass under "Look for". - If your organization has a style guide, paste its main rules into the Writing pass and add "Follow this style guide" to its rules. - For high-stakes drafts, add a third pass between Substance and the fix list that reads as the most skeptical person likely to see it. - To use different ratings, change must, should and nice in the fix list prompt and in its check, both. --- From Logic Lab (logiclabhq.com). Free to use and adapt, with credit.