Document Summary Prompt

What this prompt does

Long documents waste time if you're reading every word when you only need the decision-relevant parts. This prompt extracts exactly what you need: the core argument, key facts, decisions or recommendations, and anything that requires your attention.

Works with reports, research papers, legal contracts, policy documents, technical documentation, and anything else that's longer than you want to read in full.

The prompt

Summarize the following document:

[PASTE DOCUMENT CONTENT HERE]

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Summary instructions:
- **What I need from this document:** [YOUR GOAL — e.g., "I'm deciding whether to sign this contract," "I need to present the findings to my team," "I want the main argument without reading the full paper," "I'm looking for any clauses that require my action or approval"]
- **My role/context:** [YOUR CONTEXT — helps the AI prioritize what's relevant, e.g., "I'm the CEO reviewing a vendor contract," "I'm a high school teacher reading a curriculum proposal," "I'm a freelancer reviewing a client NDA"]
- **Format I need:** [EXECUTIVE SUMMARY / BULLET POINTS / SECTION-BY-SECTION / JUST ACTION ITEMS]
- **Length:** [SHORT (under 200 words) / MEDIUM (200–400 words) / FULL (structured, any length needed)]

Rules:
- Don't paraphrase what I can see — prioritize what isn't obvious from a skim
- Flag anything that is unclear, unusual, or potentially problematic with [FLAG]
- If there are specific deadlines, obligations, or commitments mentioned, list them separately at the end
- Don't add interpretation beyond what's in the document (label any inference with "NOTE:")

How to use it

1. Tell it your goal first — "I'm deciding whether to sign this" produces a different summary than "I want to present this to my team." The same document needs different information extracted for different purposes.
2. Paste the whole document — don't pre-summarize before pasting; let the AI see the full context.
3. Review every [FLAG] — these are the AI's signals that something deserves attention. Don't skip them.
4. Use for contracts carefully — AI summaries are useful for understanding structure and identifying what to ask a lawyer about, but not a substitute for legal review on important agreements.

Example output

Document: A 12-page software vendor contract
Goal: Deciding whether to sign; looking for unusual clauses
Format: Bullet points + flags + obligations list

Core summary:

This is a standard SaaS subscription agreement with annual billing. The vendor provides [SOFTWARE NAME] for up to [X] users; the customer agrees to the usage terms and payment schedule.

Key terms:

• 12-month initial term, auto-renews unless cancelled 60 days before renewal date
• Payment: annual in advance, non-refundable
• Data ownership: customer retains ownership; vendor may use anonymized data for product improvement

[FLAG] Unusual clauses:

• Section 8.3: Vendor can modify pricing at renewal with 30 days notice — no cap mentioned [FLAG]
• Section 12.1: Arbitration clause — disputes go to arbitration in [STATE], not your jurisdiction [FLAG]
• Section 14.4: "Reasonable use" policy undefined — could restrict high-volume usage [FLAG]

Your obligations:

1. Pay annual fee within 30 days of invoice date
2. Cancel renewal 60 days before end date if not renewing (renewal date: your start date + 12 months)
3. Notify vendor within 30 days if employee count changes above contracted limit

Variations

For research papers

"Summarize this research paper for a non-academic audience. What did they study, what did they find, what does it mean in practice? Skip methodology unless it affects how I should interpret the results."

For policy documents (school/workplace)

"Summarize this policy for a new employee/student who needs to know: what applies to them, what they can and can't do, and what happens if they don't follow it."

For board/investor reports

"Extract: the financial highlights, any risks flagged, the key decisions made, and what management is asking the board to approve. Format as a pre-meeting brief."

Common pitfalls

• Don't: Accept a summary without checking the [FLAG] items — these are the most important parts of the output.

• Try instead: Read every flagged item and decide whether it warrants further review or legal/expert input.

• Don't: Use this for highly sensitive legal documents without expert review. A summary is useful for orientation, not for making legal decisions.

Who uses this prompt

• Managers: Reviewing vendor proposals, policy documents, project reports
• Freelancers: Reading client contracts and NDAs before signing
• Teachers: Summarizing curriculum documents, policy updates, or research for planning
• Small business owners: Processing supplier contracts, lease agreements, regulatory updates