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Summarization prompts that preserve meaning (not just reduce length)

Templates to summarize long texts while keeping the right level of detail, key facts, and tone.

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What makes summaries fail

  • Not specifying the audience: the model guesses who needs the summary.
  • No output length constraint: it either over-compresses or barely cuts.
  • Missing 'what to preserve': key facts, decisions, open questions.
  • No tone guidance: a formal report and a casual Slack message differ significantly.

Controls that work

  • Set a word or sentence limit and make it a hard constraint.
  • Name the audience and their goal ('a PM who needs to decide quickly').
  • List what must be preserved ('all numbers, deadlines, open decisions').
  • Ask for a structured output: TL;DR + key points + action items.

Before → after: a summary you can act on

  • Before: "Summarize this meeting transcript." Result: a generic paragraph that mixes small talk with decisions and drops the deadlines.
  • After: "Summarize this transcript for a project manager who missed the meeting. Max 150 words. Preserve all decisions, owners and deadlines. Format: TL;DR (one sentence), Decisions, Action items (owner, due date), Open questions."
  • What changed: audience, length, what must be preserved and the structure are stated, so the summary is shorter and also more useful.

Check that the summary is faithful

  • Tell the model to use only the supplied text and not to add facts or interpretations that are not in it.
  • Ask for the supporting quote for each number, name and date, then spot-check a few against the source.
  • For very long inputs, summarize in parts (one section at a time) and then summarize the summaries; the full text may not fit, or the middle may get less attention.
  • State what to do with uncertainty: 'if something is unclear in the text, list it under Open questions instead of resolving it'.

Templates

Structured document summary

Summarize the document below for [audience: e.g. busy executive / junior developer].

Constraints:
- TL;DR: <= 2 sentences.
- Key points: <= 5 bullets (preserve all numbers, dates, and named decisions).
- Open questions: list anything that needs follow-up.
- Tone: [formal / casual / technical].

Document:
"""[paste]"""
Opens the analyzer with the prompt prefilled.
Open in Promptea

Meeting notes → action items

Extract a structured summary from these meeting notes.

Output:
1. Decision log: [decision] (owner, if mentioned)
2. Action items: [action] — [owner] — [deadline or 'no deadline']
3. Blocked items: [what is stuck and why]
4. TL;DR: <= 3 sentences

Notes:
"""[paste]"""
Opens the analyzer with the prompt prefilled.
Open in Promptea

FAQ

How do I avoid hallucinated facts in summaries?
Tell it to preserve only what is in the text and mark anything uncertain. Add: 'If a fact is not stated, omit it.'
What if the document is too long?
Split it into sections and summarize each one. Then summarize the summaries. Specify the priority order if sections differ in importance.
How long should a summary be?
Set the limit from the use: a one-sentence TL;DR for a glance, 100–150 words for a briefing, longer only if the reader will act on the details. Make the limit a hard constraint.
How do I summarize a document that does not fit in one prompt?
Split it into sections, summarize each with the same instructions, then ask for a summary of those summaries. Keep the same preserve-list in every step so nothing important is dropped.