Practical guide

A Careful AI Prompt for Summarizing a Document

A structured summary prompt can make long notes easier to review. The summary should remain traceable to the source and should not replace reading critical terms.

What to do

  1. Provide text you are permitted to share, then ask: 'Summarize only the supplied text in 5 bullets. Do not add outside facts.'
  2. Request separate headings for decisions, action items, owners, deadlines, and unresolved questions; instruct the model to mark missing details as 'not stated'.
  3. Ask for short supporting quotes or section references where the source allows them, then compare every important item with the original.
  4. Keep the original file and review the summary before using it for a decision or forwarding it.

Checks and limitations

  • Do not upload confidential, personal, or restricted documents to a service without approval.
  • Summaries can omit exceptions, numbers, conditions, and qualifying language; verify those details in the source.