Summarize a text without losing key details
Provide the text you want summarized and explain why you need the summary. Notes for a meeting may need decisions and open questions; revision notes may need definitions and examples. Specify the source so the answer stays tied to the material you supplied.
A prompt to adapt
Summarize the source below in four short bullet points for someone who has not read it. Preserve names, dates and amounts. Add a separate list of unanswered questions. Use only the source and mark anything it does not explain. Source text: [paste text]
How to approach it
- Paste the relevant passage or attach a supported text file. The composer accepts up to three text files, each no larger than 256 KiB. Remove information that is not needed for the task.
- Say which details matter and what to leave out. Ask for decisions and deadlines if you are summarizing meeting notes.
- For a long document, work through labelled sections and keep the original nearby. A summary of one section should not be presented as a summary of the entire document.
- Compare the draft with the source. Check quotations, names, numbers and whether an opinion has been turned into a fact.
A practical example
If notes say a delivery date is proposed, the summary should not describe it as confirmed. Ask for a revision that keeps words such as “proposed,” “estimated” and “not yet agreed” where they affect the meaning.
The assistant can omit a qualification or join unrelated points. A pasted URL alone does not supply the article text; paste or attach the material you want it to read.