> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wissly.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Writing Effective Questions

> Phrasing and scoping tips that produce better answers

Wissly understands natural language, but the specificity and scope of the question drive the quality of the answer.

## Be Specific

Specific questions get better answers than vague ones.

| Vague ❌                      | Specific ✅                                                   |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| "Show me revenue"            | "Show me Q3 2024 domestic revenue"                           |
| "Find the contract"          | "Find the maintenance contract with Samsung Electronics"     |
| "Organize the meeting notes" | "Organize the November 15 product-team weekly meeting notes" |

## Provide Context

Including background helps Wissly interpret your intent more accurately.

```
"What's the estimated cost in the Project A proposal?"
→ identifies which proposal

"List the required documents from last year's year-end tax settlement guide"
→ identifies timing and purpose
```

## Scope the Question with Tags

Use the **tag (@)** feature to point the question at a specific subfolder or file inside your connected folders. Tagged items are **prioritized** for that session, which speeds up and sharpens the answer.

Two ways to tag:

* **Drag and drop** — drag a folder or file from the left navigation into the chat input.
* **@ mention** — type `@` in the chat input to open a list of taggable items.

```
"Using @2024_MeetingMinutes, summarize the marketing team's decisions"
"Summarize the termination terms of @CompanyA_Contract_2024.pdf in a table"
```

Templates, source materials, and evaluation criteria can all be tagged together to compose a compound request. See the grant-proposal example in [Writing with the Canvas](/en/create/canvas) for a full walkthrough.

## Specify the Output Format

You can ask for the answer in a specific shape.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Brief" icon="compress">
    * "Summarize in three lines"
    * "Just the key points"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Detailed" icon="expand">
    * "Explain in detail"
    * "Include the background"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Structured" icon="table">
    * "Organize as a table"
    * "Create a comparison table"
  </Card>

  <Card title="Specific Length" icon="ruler">
    * "In one paragraph"
    * "About two pages"
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## A Note on Reference Scope

<Info>
  Wissly prioritizes the documents in your connected folders, and falls back on general knowledge and web search when needed. See [Internal Documents vs Web Search](/en/search/internal-vs-web) for how that works in practice.
</Info>

<Warning>
  **Avoid overly broad requests.** "Summarize all my documents" yields weak results — narrow the scope. Tagging is the quickest way.
</Warning>

<Card title="Verifying Sources and Evidence" icon="check-circle" href="/en/search/sources">
  Learn how to verify the reliability of an answer.
</Card>