Structured Outputs

Structured outputs involve prompting LLMs to return responses in specific formats like JSON, XML, or other organized structures rather than free-form text. This approach forces models to organize information systematically, reduces hallucinations by imposing format constraints, enables easy programmatic processing, and facilitates integration with applications. For example, requesting movie classification results as JSON with specified schema ensures consistent, parseable responses. Structured outputs are particularly valuable for data extraction, API integration, and applications requiring reliable data formatting.