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

# Tips for Getting Better Answers from Your Documents

> Practical question patterns for Elephas: compare documents, summarize, extract facts, find every mention and build timelines from your files, with scope tips.

Elephas works best when your question sounds like your documents and points at the right files. Name what you want, use the words your files use, and narrow the scope when you know where the answer is. The patterns below work on contracts, research papers, meeting notes, reports and spreadsheets alike.

## Before you start

* Know [how to ask a question](/docs/ask/ask-questions-about-your-documents) and [how to narrow it to specific documents](/docs/ask/ask-specific-documents).
* Some patterns read whole documents. They take longer and work best with Elephas AI or your own API key. See [How it works](#how-it-works).

## Question patterns

### Find a fact

Ask directly, in your document's own terms.

* "What is the notice period in the lease?"
* "Who is the data protection contact in the supplier agreement?"

### Point at a place

If you know where the answer is, say so. Elephas recognizes pages, page ranges, lines, section names and Bates numbers, and reads that exact place.

* "What does page 4 of the lease say?"
* "Summarize pages 10 to 14 of the annual report."
* "What's under 'Payment terms' in the services agreement?"
* "What does the Termination section say?"
* "Show me Bates ABC000123."

### Look up an exact number or code

Invoice numbers, case numbers, part numbers and other codes are searched for exactly, not by meaning.

* "Which documents mention INV-20431?"
* "What do the notes say about case 2024-CV-118?"

### Find every mention

Ask for "all" or "every" to get an exhaustive search. Elephas tells you how much it covered, and which pages it couldn't read.

* "Find every reference to the indemnity cap."
* "List all the places where Dr. Patel is mentioned."

### Summarize or outline

Ask for a summary, an outline or the gist. Elephas reads the whole document or section rather than a few passages.

* "Summarize this report in five bullet points."
* "Give me an outline of the thesis, chapter by chapter."
* "Walk me through the onboarding handbook."

### Compare

Name both sides. Narrowing the scope to the two files helps.

* "Compare the termination clauses in the 2023 and 2024 contracts."
* "How do the two vendor proposals differ on price and support hours?"

### Extract into a list or table

Say what columns you want.

* "List every payment date and amount in the lease as a table."
* "Extract all action items from the meeting notes, with the owner of each."

### Build a timeline

* "Build a timeline of the project from the meeting notes, with dates."
* "What happened, in order, between the first complaint and the settlement?"

## Steps for a better answer

<Steps>
  <Step title="Narrow the scope">
    If you know which files hold the answer, pick them in **Choose Brains & files**. A smaller scope is faster and the answer is easier to check. See [Ask about specific documents only](/docs/ask/ask-specific-documents).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use the document's words">
    "Limitation of liability" finds more in a contract than "how much can they sue us for".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Follow up in the same chat">
    Elephas keeps the last few messages in mind. "And in the 2024 version?" works after a question about the 2023 contract.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Answer Elephas's question">
    If your question could mean more than one thing, for example two files with the same name, Elephas asks which one you mean and lists the choices. Click one to continue.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the citations">
    Click the numbers to read the passages. If something looks off, ask a follow-up or click **Try again**. See [Check every answer with citations](/docs/ask/citations-and-sources).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## How it works

* **Some questions read whole documents.** Summaries, outlines, "find every" and "walk me through" questions make Elephas read far more of your documents. While it works, Ask may say **This question reads whole sources, so it may use noticeably more of your AI allowance than usual.** With your own API key, your provider bills that extra reading. See [AI usage and credits](/docs/plans-and-billing/ai-usage-and-credits).
* **Local AI answers in one pass.** With Local AI, the model on your computer answers from the passages Elephas found, without reading further on its own. It suits focused questions over a few documents. Keep the scope small. If the local model can't take everything, Ask says **Too much context for the local model. Try a shorter question or fewer Brains.** See [Choose how Elephas answers](/docs/ai-options/choose-how-elephas-answers).
* **Elephas answers from your documents, not general knowledge.** A question your files don't cover gets an honest "not found". See [Why Elephas says an answer isn't in your documents](/docs/ask/answer-not-in-your-documents).

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The answer missed something I know is there">
    Name the document or the page, or ask for "every mention". Check the Sources panel for documents listed as **couldn't be read**. See [Why Elephas says an answer isn't in your documents](/docs/ask/answer-not-in-your-documents).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A summary stopped before the end">
    Very large documents can hit the limit for one answer. Ask Elephas to summarize one part at a time, for example "Summarize chapters 1 to 3".
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Answers are slow">
    Whole-document questions take longer. With Local AI, a smaller model and a smaller scope are faster. See [Choose a local model](/docs/ai-options/choose-a-local-model).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Ask questions about your documents" href="/docs/ask/ask-questions-about-your-documents" />

  <Card title="Ask about specific documents only" href="/docs/ask/ask-specific-documents" />

  <Card title="Check every answer with citations" href="/docs/ask/citations-and-sources" />

  <Card title="Why an answer isn't in your documents" href="/docs/ask/answer-not-in-your-documents" />
</CardGroup>


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