Summarization

Purpose

Create effective summaries by matching summarization type to purpose, audience, and context. “Summarize” can mean many different things—this skill helps identify and execute the right approach.

Core Principle

Summarization is translation, not just reduction. Different purposes require different summary types. Clarify the need before condensing.

Clarifying Questions

Before summarizing, consider:

1. Purpose: What will this summary be used for?

   • Decision-making
   • Background information
   • Further research
   • Quick understanding
   • Reference/recall

2. Audience: Who will read it?

   • Technical experts
   • General audience
   • Decision makers
   • Familiar/unfamiliar with topic

3. Scope: How comprehensive?

   • Ultra-brief (single sentence)
   • Brief (paragraph)
   • Moderate (page)
   • Extended (multiple pages)

4. Emphasis: What aspects are most important?

   • Methodology
   • Findings/results
   • Arguments/claims
   • Context/background
   • Implications/applications

5. Format: What structure?

   • Narrative text
   • Bullet points
   • Hierarchical outline
   • Visual representation

Summary Type Taxonomy

Information Reduction Approaches

Structural Approaches

Purpose-Oriented Approaches

Execution by Type

Key Point Extraction

1. Scan for topic sentences and conclusions
2. Identify explicitly stated main ideas
3. List each distinct point
4. Preserve original phrasing where powerful

Example: “The author makes three main arguments: (1)…, (2)…, (3)…”

Abstraction

1. Group related details
2. Find common themes or patterns
3. Create higher-level statements
4. Reduce specifics to principles

Example: “Multiple studies consistently show…” instead of listing 12 studies

Gisting

1. Ask: “What is the one thing to remember?”
2. Distill to core insight
3. Remove all supporting detail
4. Verify essence is preserved

Example: “Remote work increases productivity for most knowledge workers.”

Executive Summary

1. State the problem/opportunity
2. Present the solution/recommendation
3. Highlight key benefits
4. Note costs/risks
5. Specify required actions

Synthesis

1. Read all sources
2. Identify common themes
3. Note contradictions
4. Find complementary information
5. Create unified narrative

Example: “Across the five reports, three key trends emerge…”

Critical Summary

1. Summarize the claims
2. Evaluate the evidence
3. Assess methodology
4. Note limitations
5. Conclude with assessment

Example: “While the author claims X, the evidence is limited by…”

Format Variations

Quotation-Based

• Use key phrases verbatim
• When precise wording is important
• Select and organize most important quotes

Bullet Points

• Break continuous text into discrete units
• When quick scanning is valued
• Make each point standalone

Progressive Summary

• Start ultra-brief
• Add layers of detail
• Let reader choose depth

Comparative Summary

• Side-by-side analysis
• Highlight similarities and differences
• When contrasting sources

Quality Checklist

• Purpose is clear
• Audience is considered
• Scope is appropriate
• Emphasis matches needs
• Format serves purpose
• Core message is preserved
• Reduction is proportional
• No invented information
• Attribution where needed

Anti-Patterns

The Information Dump

Problem: Reduces length but not complexity Fix: Focus on what matters, not just what’s short

The Distortion

Problem: Changes meaning through compression Fix: Verify summary against original claims

The One-Size-Fits-All

Problem: Same approach for all requests Fix: Match type to purpose and audience

The Over-Abstraction

Problem: Loses all useful specifics Fix: Preserve concrete details that support understanding

Integration Points

Inbound:

• When asked to summarize any content
• When processing long documents
• When creating documentation

Outbound:

• To decision-making processes
• To knowledge management systems
• To communication outputs

Complementary:

• speech-adaptation: For spoken summaries
• voice-analysis: For maintaining voice in summaries