AIExplainer
Open navigation menu

0 of 0 lessons complete

Course outline

Module 2 · Lesson 3 of 7

Module 2 · Lesson 3 Beginner 1 min read

Summarising documents

Turn long reports and articles into clear summaries.

AI can read long text and produce summaries, bullet points, or key takeaways. This is helpful before meetings, when onboarding to a project, or when you need the gist of a report quickly.

Paste the text (if your organisation allows it) or upload a document if the tool supports it. Ask for a specific format: "five bullet points," "executive summary," or "action items only."

A simple summarisation workflow

  1. 1

    Check your policy

    Confirm you are allowed to paste the document into your AI tool.

  2. 2

    Choose a format

    Ask for bullet points, an executive summary, or action items only.

  3. 3

    Review the output

    Check names, numbers, and conclusions against the original.

Useful prompts

Executive summary

Summarise this document in five bullet points for a busy manager.

Action items

Extract only the action items and deadlines from these meeting notes.

Examples

  • •Summarising a 30-page report before a board meeting
  • •Extracting key decisions from meeting minutes
  • •Creating a one-paragraph overview of a policy document
  • •Listing open questions from a project status update

Knowledge check

Why specify a format when asking AI to summarise?

Choose the best answer, then check your understanding.