Best Summarization Prompt: Summarizing Long Texts with AI

How to Summarize Long Texts with AI Tools Like ChatGPT

In today’s fast-paced world, processing large volumes of information is a common challenge. Using efficient prompts to summarize long texts efficiently can save time, improve comprehension, and enhance productivity. In this article, we’ll explore a practical and actionable prompt to summarization using a structured prompt designed for in-depth analysis and clarity.

The Perfect Prompt for Summarizing Long Texts

To unlock the full potential of AI for summarization, you need the right prompt. Below is a carefully crafted example that guides AI to generate concise, insightful summaries by addressing key points in the text.

<text>
</text>

1. Analyse the above text enclosed in <text> tags and generate 5 essential questions that, when answered, capture the main points and core meaning of the text

2. When formulating your questions:
     a. Address the central theme or argument
     b. Identify key supporting ideas
     c. Highlight important facts or evidence 
     d. Reveal the author's purpose or perspective
     e. Explore any significant implications or conclusions

3. Answer all of your generated questions one-by-one in detail

4. Compile all the answers into a paragraph and present as a summary

Add the long text you want to summarize between the <text></text> tags.

Here is an example of it in action

How does it work?

Generate Essential Questions

The LLM begins by generating five questions based on the text. These questions address the core argument, supporting ideas, important facts, the author’s perspective, and implications. This process ensures that the key points are captured comprehensively.

Provide Detailed Answers

The LLM answers each question thoroughly, breaking down the text into digestible insights. This step transforms complex information into manageable chunks.

Compile Answers into a Summary

Finally, the answers are compiled into a cohesive paragraph that captures the essence of the text. This step ensures clarity and fluency, delivering a concise summary.

Why This Prompt is Highly Efficient?

It combines a systematic framework with a focus on depth and clarity. By structuring the process through essential questions and detailed answers, it mimics a human’s critical thinking and comprehension process

Comprehensive Coverage

By breaking the text into central theme, supporting ideas, evidence, purpose, and implications, the prompt ensures no key aspect is overlooked.

Adaptive to Complexity

The open-ended nature of the questions makes it versatile enough to handle texts of varying lengths and complexities, from simple articles to dense academic papers.

Encourages Depth

The detailed question-answer process avoids superficial summaries, ensuring the core meaning and intricacies of the text are captured.

Promotes Clarity and Relevance

Each generated question and answer is directly tied to the text, reducing the risk of irrelevant or vague summaries.

Logical Flow

The final paragraph synthesizes the extracted information into a cohesive and digestible form, making it ready for immediate use.

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Summarizing long texts is no longer a time-consuming chore, thanks to LLMs like ChatGPT. With the right prompt, you can extract meaningful insights, improve your understanding, and stay productive. Try this prompt the next time you encounter an overwhelming article or document, and experience the efficiency of AI-driven summarization firsthand.