How to plan an article with AI using sources
Planning an AI-assisted article from sources requires connecting reader questions to claims you can support. The tool can help organize material but should not fill gaps with invented studies, numbers or statements.
The example is an explanatory article about a change in a digital service. You will build an outline with sources and limits before requesting a complete draft.
1. Define the reader and central question
Write down who needs the article and what uncertainty it resolves. “What changed for existing users?” creates a different scope from introducing a company from scratch.
Define what the article will not cover as well. Explicit boundaries prevent a focused explanation from becoming a collection of topics linked only by similar words.
2. Check the source material
Open pages, identify authorship and dates, and examine relevant passages. Separate the change announcement, operating documentation and third-party interpretations.
Use the source-checking workflow before treating a document as evidence. An existing link does not automatically establish the claim placed beside it.
Preserve the difference between a publication date and an effective date. An article explaining a planned change must not accidentally tell readers that the change has already happened.
3. Build a claim map
List points the article will probably need to explain. Record the available evidence and what remains unconfirmed.
| Reader question | Possible claim | Required support |
|---|---|---|
| What changed? | Description of the change | Announcement or documentation |
| Who is affected? | Scope of application | Explicit conditions |
| What should I do now? | Next action | Checked procedure |
| What remains uncertain? | Limit of the material | Declared gap |
Do not fill every cell merely for completeness. A useful gap may show that a section requires research or should leave the outline.
4. Request evidence for each section
Supply selected passages and identify every source. Ask for a plan showing the relationship between question, argument and available material.
Plan an article for [READER] answering [CENTRAL QUESTION].
Use only the checked sources and passages below.
Suggest a title, opening and sections ordered by reader need.
For each section, identify its question, supportable claims and corresponding source.
Separate editorial interpretation from explicitly documented information.
List research gaps and sections that depend on them.
Do not invent citations, numbers, testimonials or personal experience.
Do not write the complete article yet.
[IDENTIFIED SOURCES AND PASSAGES]The OpenAI prompting guidance provides a reference for instructions and context. The editorial map is an original application for making the work reviewable.
5. Review the argument, not just headings
Check whether section order leads to the central answer and whether a heading promises more than sources support. An appealing title must still match its content.
Request an explanation of each important conclusion and locate its support. When material allows only a hypothesis, preserve that condition in the outline.
6. Plan writing and review
Choose sections needing an original example, table or conceptual explanation. Distinguish fictional examples from documented cases rather than creating an experience nobody reported.
Plan a final review of dates, numbers, names and links. Also check whether the writing has its own structure rather than reproducing the order or wording of references.
Set aside a specific check for quoted speech: speaker, words and source should match. A paraphrase should remain a paraphrase rather than becoming a more dramatic quotation during drafting.
Common mistakes
Starting with the desired conclusion, collecting unread links and asking for statistics “to make the article convincing” weaken an outline. Using one source to support claims far beyond its scope is another failure.
Completion criterion
An outline is ready when every section addresses a real question with sufficient support or a declared gap. Next, write without losing that map.
Use faithful summarization and recognizing invented answers during production.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI invent citations to complete the article?
No. A reference must exist and support the claim; when evidence is missing, preserve the gap or change scope.
How can I avoid copying source order?
Organize the article around reader questions and use sources to support specific points in original wording.
Does the outline need a predetermined conclusion?
It needs a question and scope. The conclusion should follow what the evidence supports rather than an unsupported predetermined thesis.