10 Secret Tips on How to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article

10 Secret Tips on How to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article

Publish date
Oct 24, 2024
AI summary
The document provides ten tips for effectively using ChatGPT to summarize articles, emphasizing the importance of clear instructions, setting target lengths, and focusing on specific sections. It also highlights the use of PDF.ai for summarizing PDFs, extracting actionable insights, and simplifying complex documents. Various summarization tools are mentioned, including PDF.ai, SummarizeBot, and Scholarcy, each with unique features catering to different user needs, such as multilingual support and academic summarization.
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We’ve all been there. You open a long article, ready to extract meaningful information, and before you know it, you’re lost in the details and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of text. Summarizing the article could help you get the information you need faster, but who wants to take the time to do that when they can have an AI do it for them? Summarizing articles is just one of the many ways you can use ChatGPT to streamline your work processes. This guide will reveal how to get ChatGPT to summarize an article, including 10 secret tips for improving your results.
A valuable tool for helping you get ChatGPT to review documents and summarize articles is PDF.ai's AI PDF reader. The AI PDF Reader makes it easy to review documents by extracting the text from any PDF to help you quickly understand its contents. You can then ask ChatGPT to summarize the text, offering you a quick and clear overview of the document.

Why Use ChatGPT for Summarizing Articles?

How to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article
How to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article

Information Overload and Efficiency Needs: Why Summarizing Documents with AI Is Essential

Professionals and students often face overwhelming amounts of data in today’s information-driven world. Research studies, news articles, reports, or academic papers can be time-consuming to read and analyze in full. According to McKinsey, knowledge workers spend nearly 19% of their time searching for and processing information. This time could be better utilized if crucial information could be summarized automatically.
Tools like ChatGPT address this challenge by providing quick, automated summaries. Using AI-powered solutions like ChatGPT, users can input significant articles, research papers, or even PDFs and get instant summaries, eliminating the need to read the entire document. The AI can identify critical points, trends, and essential information, which helps users focus on decision-making or critical analysis rather than manually extracting information.

Why ChatGPT is Perfect for Summarization

Unlike keyword-based search engines or essential summarization tools, ChatGPT uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand the context of a text. ChatGPT doesn’t just extract critical phrases or words; it reads and interprets the entire document to provide meaningful, contextually accurate summaries. It can distill long reports into concise, coherent summaries that retain critical insights.
For example, if you are a student reading a research article about climate change, ChatGPT can summarize the key hypotheses, results, and conclusions while omitting extraneous details. Professionals working with technical documents can rely on ChatGPT to highlight core data points, recommendations, or trends.

Benefits of ChatGPT for Summarization

Time-saving

ChatGPT can summarize documents in seconds, saving hours of reading and processing time.

Accuracy

It focuses on the context and content of the document, ensuring that important details aren’t lost in the summarization process.

Customization

Users can prompt ChatGPT to provide summaries in different formats, whether they prefer bullet points, paragraph summaries, or key takeaways.

Pairing ChatGPT with PDF.ai

Using ChatGPT alongside PDF.ai enhances the document summarization process, especially for users working with PDFs. PDF.ai enables users to interact with PDF documents directly, extracting summaries, answers, or specific information based on their needs. For instance, instead of manually searching through a 100-page research paper, you can ask PDF.ai to summarize key sections, extract data points, or answer specific questions.

Practical Example

Consider you’re working on an extensive research project, and your source material includes dozens of lengthy PDFs. With ChatGPT and PDF.ai, you can upload documents, ask the AI to summarize key points, or even extract particular data, like experimental results or literature reviews. This saves you countless hours of manual work while ensuring no critical information is missed.

Supporting Stats and Insights

TechJury states that over 90% of users believe AI solutions like ChatGPT can significantly improve their efficiency by handling content summarization and extraction. In a survey conducted by Pew Research, 65% of professionals reported that AI-based tools have streamlined their daily tasks by reducing time spent on mundane tasks like document review.

What can you do with a PDF.ai?

PDF.ai is the ultimate ChatPDF app, enabling you to interact with any PDF using AI. We also offer an API for seamless integration into your application. Get answers from the PDF, ask for a summary, extract the data, and find anything you need.

Features

PDF.ai helps to quickly extract, summarize, and interact with information in PDFs without manually reading through them. We enable users to ask questions, get summaries, and find specific details instantly, saving time and improving productivity, especially when dealing with lengthy or complex documents. Get started for free today with our AI PDF reader!

10 Secret Tips to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article

How to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article
How to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article

Get Straight to the Point

To get a precise summary from ChatGPT, you need to start with clear instructions. The AI must understand the specific task you want it to perform. For example, instead of saying, "Summarize this," specify what part of the article you wish to summarize and what focus it should have.

Example Prompt

“Summarize this 10-page research article on climate change focusing on the environmental impacts.”

Pro Tip

Clear instructions minimize the risk of ChatGPT missing key points, especially when the article is lengthy or technical.

Set a Target Length

Setting a word or sentence limit helps ensure the summary stays concise and focused on the most critical information. This is particularly helpful when you need quick takeaways or summarizing for a specific audience.

Example Prompt

“Provide a 200-word summary of this guide on climate change.”

Practical Tip

With PDF.ai, you can customize summary lengths by setting word limits, ensuring you get a brief or detailed response as needed.

Ask for a Targeted Summary

Sometimes, you only need a summary of specific sections like the conclusion or key findings. By asking ChatGPT to focus on particular parts of the article, you can save time and get relevant insights.

Example Prompt

“Summarize the key findings from the discussion section of this report.”

Pro Tip

This works particularly well with research papers, requiring only a methodology summary or final results.

Summarize by Sections for Detailed Insights

For lengthy reports or articles, summarizing section-by-section gives you more detail than a general overview. This is useful when capturing every part of the document, especially for academic or technical purposes.

Example Prompt

“Summarize section 2 of this report, focusing on the methodology.”

Pro Tip

This method ensures that each critical section of the article gets sufficient attention and detail.

Customize the Tone of the Summary

Adjusting the tone of the summary helps align the content with your intended audience. Depending on the target audience, you can instruct ChatGPT to shift the language to make it more formal, academic, or conversational.

Example Prompt

“Summarize this scientific article in an easy-to-understand, casual tone.”

Pro Tip

Rewriting summaries for a lay audience can improve clarity and engagement, especially in complex fields like medicine or engineering.

Simplify Technical Summaries for Broader Audiences

For articles filled with industry-specific terms or complicated data, instruct ChatGPT to simplify the text. This will make dense research papers or legal documents more accessible to broader audiences.

Example Prompt

“Simplify this legal document for a general audience.”

Stat

Research suggests that simplifying complex data increases reader comprehension by 40%, making this a critical tool for engaging broader audiences.

Extract Actionable Points from Summaries

Extracting actionable items or key takeaways can be more beneficial when summarizing reports or research. This is especially important for business documents where decision-making is critical.

Example Prompt

“What are the key takeaways or action items from this report?”

Pro Tip

Use actionable summaries for internal reports or meeting briefs to help colleagues focus on the most critical decisions.

Combine Summaries with a Call-to-Action

In some cases, especially for business or marketing purposes, combining a summary with a call to action can help direct the reader to the next steps or strategies.

Example Prompt

“Summarize this market analysis and include a recommendation for the next action.”
Studies show that including a call-to-action with a summary boosts response rates by 20%, particularly in business settings.

Use Multi-Document Summarization for Comparative Insights

If you have multiple articles or reports, ChatGPT can summarize the common themes or key insights across all of them. This is useful when comparing research findings or business strategies.

Example Prompt

“Summarize the common themes from these three articles on climate change.”

Pro Tip

Use this feature to summarize related research articles or business reports when conducting comparative studies.

Double-check summaries for Missing Details

Sometimes, the initial summary needs to include critical data points. Always ask ChatGPT if any details need to be noticed, especially with highly detailed or complex documents.

Example Prompt

“Did this summary miss any key details from the conclusion?”

Pro Tip

Use this strategy to ensure that all essential data, especially in executive summaries or conclusions, is accurately captured.

The Best 10 Summarization Tool

1. PDF.ai: Your AI-powered PDF Summarization Tool

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PDF.ai is an advanced AI-powered PDF summarization tool. It allows users to interact with PDFs by asking specific questions, getting summaries, and extracting essential information from long-form documents. Perfect for researchers, students, and professionals, PDF.ai offers an efficient way to summarize complex articles, research papers, or any large documents.

Key Features

  • Chat with PDF documents for summaries and specific information.
  • Tag and categorize PDFs for better organization.
  • Use dynamic placeholders and custom commands.
  • Ideal for multi-PDF uploads and bulk summarization.

Best For

Students, researchers, and professionals who need to handle large, complex documents with ease.
Use PDF.ai for free today to streamline your summarization process with our AI PDF reader.

2. SummarizeBot: Multilingual Document Summarization

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SummarizeBot is an AI and blockchain-powered tool that provides quick summaries of documents, web pages, or text in multiple languages. It extracts the most essential details and compiles them into concise reports.

Key Features

  • Supports multiple file formats such as PDF, Word, and audio.
  • Extracts essential data and keywords.
  • Multilingual support for document summarization.

Best For

Business professionals, researchers, and content creators looking for multilingual summarization.

3. SMMRY: Free and Simple Text Summarizer

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SMMRY is a free, easy-to-use tool that summarizes articles, PDFs, and web pages by identifying the most critical points. Users can adjust the summary length by selecting the number of sentences.

Key Features

  • Customizable summary length.
  • Simple interface for quick summaries.
  • URL and document input options.

Best For

Students and casual users need quick and straightforward articles or web content summaries.

4. Resoomer: Focused Summarization Tool for Academic and Professional Content

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Resoomer is a free summarization tool that provides clear and concise summaries of articles, essays, and other texts. It’s ideal for summarizing long academic papers and business documents.

Key Features

  • Directly summarizes web articles and documents.
  • Focuses on academic and professional content.
  • Multiple language support.

Best For

Students, academics, and professionals must condense lengthy content into key points.

5. TLDR This: Quickly Summarizes Web Articles

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TLDR This is a tool for summarizing web articles into easy-to-read bullet points or concise paragraphs. It uses advanced AI to break down lengthy articles and highlight the core information.

Key Features

  • Summarizes web articles and text.
  • Provides bullet-pointed vital takeaways.
  • Browser extensions are available for easy use.

Best For

Digital marketers, content creators, and casual readers who want the key points of web articles without the fluff.

6. QuillBot: Paraphrasing Tool With Summarizing Feature

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Known primarily for its paraphrasing capabilities, QuillBot also offers a summarization tool that helps users condense articles and reports while maintaining the core meaning of the content.

Key Features

  • Customizable summary lengths.
  • Summarizes both academic and casual text.
  • Built-in paraphrasing and grammar-checking tools.

Best For

Students, writers, and professionals looking for paraphrasing and summarization in one platform.

7. Tools4noobs: Simple and Straightforward Summarization Tool

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Tools4noobs offers a text summarizer ideal for simplifying and extracting the most relevant points from any article. Its simple interface allows users to input text or URLs and receive a condensed version of the content.

Key Features

  • Customizable summary length.
  • Simple and intuitive interface.
  • Focuses on identifying and removing unnecessary sentences.

Best For

Quick article or webpage summaries for everyday readers.

8. Scholarcy: Summarizing Tool for Academic Papers

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Scholarcy is a summarization tool designed specifically for academic papers, research articles, and technical documents. It uses AI to break down complex papers into digestible summaries with highlighted vital sections.

Key Features

  • Summarizes research papers, reports, and articles.
  • Extracts critical data points, figures, and references.

Best For

Academics, researchers, and students who need help digesting dense research papers.

9. PrepostSEO Summarizer: Summarizing Tool With SEO Tools

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PrepostSEO is an all-in-one SEO tool that includes a free summarization feature. This tool allows users to summarize content quickly while preserving the key points and structure of the original text.

Key Features

  • Summarizes articles, essays, and reports.
  • Multiple languages supported.
  • Additional SEO tools like plagiarism checkers and paraphrasers.

Best For

Content creators and bloggers looking for SEO-integrated summarization tools.

10. Summary Tool: No-Frills Summarization Tool

Summary Tool is a straightforward and easy-to-use tool for generating quick summaries from articles, PDFs, and other documents. It is constructive for students and professionals who must compress lengthy texts.

Key Features

  • Summarizes significant texts into a few sentences.
  • Simple interface for fast results.
  • Supports multiple file formats.

Best For

Users seeking a no-frills summarization experience, especially for educational or professional documents.

What can you do with a PDF.ai?

PDF.ai is the ultimate ChatPDF app, enabling you to interact with any PDF using AI. We also offer an API for seamless integration into your application. Get answers from the PDF, ask for a summary, extract the data, and find anything you need.

Features

PDF.ai helps to quickly extract, summarize, and interact with information in PDFs without manually reading through them. We enable users to ask questions, get summaries, and find specific details instantly, saving time and improving productivity, especially when dealing with lengthy or complex documents. Get started for free today with our AI PDF reader!

Overcoming Summarization Challenges with PDF.ai and Other Tools

How to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article
How to Get ChatGPT to Summarize an Article

Tools to Enhance Summarization Efficiency

PDF.ai’s ChatPDF Feature

PDF.ai offers an intuitive ChatPDF feature that allows users to upload a PDF and interact with the document directly through AI-driven queries. This tool will enable you to ask for summaries, request specific information, and extract essential data without manually reading the document. For example, instead of scrolling through a 100-page research paper, you can ask PDF.ai’s chatbot, “Summarize the methodology of this paper,” and it will instantly provide a concise response.

Integrate ChatGPT with PDF.ai API

For more advanced workflows, you can integrate ChatGPT with the PDF.ai API to automate document summarization in real-time. This is especially useful for businesses and professionals looking to enhance their workflow through automation. For example, you can automatically extract key points from business reports to save time and ensure consistency in document summaries.

Dynamic Placeholders in Automated Responses

Dynamic placeholders, such as customer names or specific keywords, allow for more personalized interactions when generating summaries. This can make summaries feel more tailored, increasing engagement and comprehension. For instance, using placeholders like “customer name” in the summaries or automated responses can improve personalization—even in document summaries or feedback.

Common Summarization Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Challenge 1: Summaries Missing Key Details

Sometimes, specific key details may need to be noticed when requesting a complex or large document summary. The solution? Break the document into smaller, manageable sections. For example, you can ask for summaries of individual sections, such as methodology, conclusions, or key findings. This ensures that nothing critical is left out, and you can later compile the sections into a comprehensive summary. Using PDF.ai, you can tag and interact with specific sections of your PDF for more targeted summaries.

Challenge 2: Difficulty Extracting Actionable Insights

General summaries might only sometimes highlight actionable insights, especially in reports or research documents. The solution? Instruct ChatGPT to focus specifically on recommendations or next steps. Instead of asking for a general summary, say, “Extract actionable insights or steps from this report.” This directs the AI to pull out the most relevant information to help you move forward with decisions or actions. PDF.ai allows for extracting actionable insights from documents, simplifying complex content into practical steps.

Challenge 3: Jargon-Heavy Summaries

Some documents, especially technical papers or academic reports, may contain jargon or complex terms that make the summary challenging to understand for non-experts. The solution? Ask ChatGPT to simplify the summary. For example, “Explain this in simple terms for a general audience.” This will ensure the summary is accessible, even to those unfamiliar with the technical terminology. PDF.ai helps simplify these jargon-heavy summaries with its customization options, allowing you to adjust the complexity level of your output.

How PDF.ai Can Help You Summarize Research Articles Efficiently

PDF.ai is an advanced AI PDF reader that allows you to ask questions about any PDF document and get answers back in seconds. Want to know the summary of a research article? Simply upload the PDF to the PDF.ai platform and ask for a summary. You can also request specific information, such as details about the methodology section or any statistics or tables in the document. The AI will respond with precise information to help you understand the content quickly without reading through every page.

Try Our AI PDF Reader for Free Today

PDF.ai is the ultimate ChatPDF app, enabling you to interact with any PDF using AI. We also offer an API for seamless integration into your application. Get answers from the PDF, ask for a summary, extract the data, and find anything you need.

Features

PDF.ai helps to quickly extract, summarize, and interact with information in PDFs without manually reading through them. We enable users to ask questions, get summaries, and find specific details instantly, saving time and improving productivity, especially when dealing with lengthy or complex documents. Get started for free today with our AI PDF reader!