Extract what matters from a document
Did the shorter summary lose an important fact?
Decide what you need to learn before reading. An organizer needs arrangements and open tasks; a potential attendee needs the time, venue, and registration method. A summary should serve that purpose while preserving the source’s limitations and uncertainty.
Attach a source tag to every summary point and separate facts, caps, and unknowns
Extract by question and tag each point with Source A, B, or C so reviewers can verify in seconds.
Schedule: Nov 6 14:00–16:00 · 3F Room
Deadline Nov 3 18:00; target attendance 20 (not confirmed signups).
Budget Cap: CNY 2,000 (Actual Spend Unconfirmed)
Preserve “cap” wording so it is never misread as recorded expenditure.
Equipment & Gaps: Projector Ready · Catering/Remote Open
Separate confirmed projection equipment from the two unconfirmed items.
The method: three small steps
A useful summary lets you return to the source. Number the sections and ask for evidence beside each conclusion. A reference number is only a locator: read the cited passage to see whether it actually supports the claim. Across multiple passages, keep confirmed details, targets, caps, and open questions distinct instead of flattening them into established facts.
Decide what the reading should help you do
Here, an organizer needs to know what is settled and what needs follow-up. Extract information for that purpose instead of compressing every sentence without revealing the next step.
Keep qualifiers and sources
“Target: 20 people” and “20 actual attendees” mean different things; a budget cap is not actual spending. Keep those qualifiers and attach the relevant passage to each conclusion.
Check omissions and list unknowns
Check that key times, the venue, the deadline, and unconfirmed arrangements are included. If no registration method is provided, do not infer one from tone or common practice; list it as missing.
WORKED EXAMPLE
See how to improve a result
Prepared example: preserve evidence and qualifiers
The requests and responses are prepared teaching examples, not live model output.
Read the example sources
Source A · Event notice
The team exchange event is scheduled for November 6, 14:00–16:00, in the third-floor meeting room. Sign up by November 3, 18:00. The target is 20 attendees; actual registrations have not yet been counted. No registration method, link, or event contact is provided.
Source B · Budget and equipment
The budget cap is CNY 2,000. No actual spending has been recorded. A projector is available in the meeting room.
Source C · Preparation notes
Catering and remote access are unconfirmed. Lin will organize the agenda before November 2; Zhou will confirm the attendee list before November 3. The photography owner and deadline remain unconfirmed.
The request
Summarize the event notice, budget note, and preparation record in one sentence.
Example response
Everything is ready for 20 attendees at a cost of CNY 2,000, with catering and remote participation.
What to noticeThis is a prepared incorrect summary. Compression has turned a target, a cap, and unknowns into confirmed facts.
Your turn: what would you ask next?
Try it yourself with different material
Try new sources: summarize internal learning sessions
Copy the material and task into your usual tool to practice. Then review your work against the checks.
Material
Fictional sources: [D1] Four internal learning sessions are planned this month; two are complete. [D2] Eighteen feedback responses have been received, against a target of 30. [D3] The next session is tentatively planned for the afternoon of December 10; the venue is undecided.
Task
Write a short summary citing D1–D3, separating actual results, plans and targets, and unconfirmed arrangements.
Review your work
- Four planned sessions and two completed sessions stay distinct and cite D1.
- Eighteen received responses and the target of 30 stay distinct and cite D2.
- December 10 remains tentative and the venue undecided, with a reference to D3.
Read the sample material, match summary claims to their sources, and identify unsupported additions. The workspace uses prepared passages and checking rules so you can practice finding evidence.
These materials describe a fictional event. No AI model is called. Selections are checked against explicit rules; you review your own writing against the sources.
Read the original exercise materials
The team exchange event is scheduled for November 6, 14:00–16:00, in the third-floor meeting room. Sign up by November 3, 18:00. The target is 20 attendees; actual registrations have not yet been counted. No registration method, link, or event contact is provided.
The budget cap is CNY 2,000. No actual spending has been recorded. A projector is available in the meeting room.
Catering and remote access are unconfirmed. Lin will organize the agenda before November 2; Zhou will confirm the attendee list before November 3. The photography owner and deadline remain unconfirmed.
Make every summary claim traceable
Take your work with you
Drafts stay only on this page and are not restored after refreshing or leaving. Copy or download what you want to keep. Switching language does not delete your writing.
Read with a question, make each conclusion traceable, and keep “not stated in the material” when that is the accurate result.
Try it in your own AI tool
- Open an AI chat tool you already have access to, start a new conversation, and paste the complete task sheet into its input box before sending. Use only the fictional text here; no work files, passwords, or personal details are needed.
- Choose any three summary items and return to their cited passages. Check whether the source supports the whole claim, not merely whether it contains the same words.
- Check the qualifiers on attendance and budget, plus the registration deadline, catering, and remote access. If something is wrong, cite the source passage and ask for a targeted correction.
- Save the corrected summary, then remove one passage and try again. The new summary should show the resulting unknowns rather than retain conclusions whose evidence is gone.
Complete the checks above to record your progress. This records example practice; try a different task independently to test your skill.
Explanations, cases, and exercises are authored by Reallier. Links provide further learning. The workplace activity and people are fictional.