Summarizing Documents
Document summarization is one of the most powerful and reliable uses of AI for research and knowledge work. Effective summarization prompts specify the audience, length, and focus area.
10 min•By Priygop Team•Updated 2026
Document Summarization Prompt Templates
Document Summarization Prompt Templates
# Document summarization prompt templates
general_summary = """
Summarize this document in [NUMBER] bullet points.
Focus on: [KEY AREA, e.g. main findings, action items, risks].
Write for: [AUDIENCE].
[PASTE DOCUMENT HERE]
"""
executive_summary = """
Write a 3-sentence executive summary of this document.
Focus on: the main conclusion and the most important implication.
Audience: a senior executive with no technical background.
[PASTE DOCUMENT HERE]
"""
section_summary = """
Summarize only the [SECTION NAME] section of this document.
Format: 3 bullet points.
Focus on: practical implications for [AUDIENCE].
[PASTE SECTION HERE]
"""
comparison_summary = """
Summarize the key differences between these two documents.
Use a comparison format: Document A vs Document B.
Focus on: [SPECIFIC ASPECT, e.g. methodology, conclusions, recommendations].
Document A: [PASTE]
Document B: [PASTE]
"""
print("Always specify: number of points, audience, and focus area.")Diagram
Loading diagram…
Deep Learning ⊂ Machine Learning ⊂ Artificial Intelligence
Key Takeaways
- Document summarization prompts should specify format, audience, and focus
- Always paste the full document content into the prompt
- Executive summaries (3 sentences) are different from detailed bullet-point summaries
- Section-specific summaries are more useful than trying to summarize an entire long document
- Always verify that the summary is accurate by checking it against the original
Key Takeaways
- Document summarization is one of the most powerful and reliable uses of AI for research and knowledge work.
- Document summarization prompts should specify format, audience, and focus
- Always paste the full document content into the prompt
- Executive summaries (3 sentences) are different from detailed bullet-point summaries