One of the defining features of ChatGPT is that it can produce information on any topic of your choice thanks to its abundant data resource. The AI tool uses machine learning to decipher the content from its database to provide you with answers based on your query. In addition to gathering content on its own, ChatGPT can also understand the natural language from human-written text and offer insights and analyses based on the text you provided. 

To help you create summaries of your desired content, we’ve compiled a list of basic and advanced prompts you can use inside ChatGPT. 

Best ChatGPT prompts for text summarization

If you wish to summarize texts using ChatGPT, you can enter the following prompts inside the AI tool to get the job done. 

  1. Can you write a concise and comprehensive summary of [insert text here]?
  2. Create a summary capturing the main points and key details of [add text here]. 
  3. Write a well-designed summary with headings and subheadings based on what you can understand from this [add text].
  4. Can you summarize the book “Beyond Good and Evil” by Friedrich Nietzsche with all key points and supporting details? Make sure the summary includes relevant details and examples that support the main ideas while avoiding any unnecessary information or repetition.
  5. Summarize [text] into 2 paragraphs with simple language to make it easier to understand. 
  6. Please summarize <book title> to help me create a book report. 
  7. I need to write a research paper based on this <text>. Help me summarize this text for better understanding so that I can add it to the research paper. 
  8. Provide me with an act-by-act summary of Julius Caesar. 
  9. Summarize this for me like I’m 8 years old [add text here]. 
  10. Write a thesis on <book name, play, story, or add your own text>. 
  11. Generate a summary for the weekly report below in markdown format providing insights and analysis [insert report here]. 
  12. Create a summary of <book title> by summarizing all chapters separately and then generating an overall summary of the book. 
  13. Here’s what I learned from my <subject> class. [Insert your lessons here] Can you summarize my lessons into brief points to make it easier for me to understand?
  14. Can you provide a summary of <historical topic/event>?
  15. Can you format headings for my blog post? [insert post]
  16. Here’s a research paper I’m working on [Insert your research paper]. Can you help me create an engaging introduction based on my research paper?
  17. Help me write an executive summary for my project proposal: [Project Name and what it’s about]. Consider including key elements such as project goals, objectives, methods, and potential outcomes.
  18. Create a summary of this complaint letter <insert letter> to better describe the issue I’m facing. 
  19. Can you write a summary of our company’s vision from this <text>?
  20. <Insert data> Can you create a day’s summary of customer feedback based on May 20, 2023, from this data?
  21. Create a summary of the text below into 8 sentences where the start of every sentence starts with this <letter or word>. [insert text here]
  22. Summarize <a book with author name> and tell me all the important things provided in this book.
  23. Create a summary highlighting my skillsets from this resume [add your resume here].
  24. Generate a 150-word summary to help me demonstrate my <skills> in my resume.
  25. Create a summary describing my job experience and history from my resume [insert resume].
  26. Summarize this YouTube video including the main points in a bulleted list <insert link>. – This only works for ChatGPT Plus subscribers with Video Insights plug-in installed 
  27. Generate a summary to add to my cover letter that emphasizes my passion for <interest> and how that will help me do <this job> better. 
  28. Can you list the pros and cons for the <product> from this <description>?
  29. Write a summary to highlight my unique selling points based on my resume below. The summary should emphasize what sets me apart from other qualified candidates. [insert resume]
  30. Summarize Passage A and Passage B and then rewrite Passage A in the same way as Passage B without changing the content. [Passage A] [Passage B]
  31. Generate a summary to use as a sales pitch based on <this description>. 
  32. Summarize <product description>. Use it to create a list of use cases for the < product>. 
  33. Can you create a detailed summary of the <movie>?
  34. Create a TLDR based on contents from <link>. 
  35. <insert text> Can you create a summary of the above text in the style on <author or book name> highlighting the main content without changing any information?

Related: AI to Summarize Text: A List of 10 Best Tools!

How to make ChatGPT better at making summaries

The above set of prompts can be helpful to create different sets of summaries of your content but if you wish to create summaries in a specific style repetitively, you may want to assign a role for ChatGPT. When the AI tool assumes this role, you will get personalized responses based on your input text in your desired format. You can use the following role-assigning prompts on ChatGPT to create relevant summaries in a certain style:

Role Prompt
Content writer I want you to act as a skilled web content writer with years of experience writing detailed about us pages for websites. Write a high-quality About page for the <website> based on this <description>.
Text Summarizer I want you to act as a text summarizer to help me create a concise summary of the text I provide. The summary can be up to 8 sentences in length, expressing the key points and concepts written in the original text without adding your interpretations. My first request is to summarize this text – [insert text here]
Research Paper Summarizer I want you to act as a research paper summarizer. I will provide you with a research paper on a specific topic, and you will create a summary of the main points and findings of the paper. Your summary should be concise and should accurately and objectively communicate the key points of the paper. You should not include any personal opinions or interpretations in your summary but rather focus on objectively presenting the information from the paper. Your summary should be written in your own words and should not include any direct quotes from the paper. Please ensure that your summary is clear, concise, and accurately reflects the content of the original paper.
Career Aspirations Summarizer I want you to act as a Career Aspirations Summarizer. Write down your user’s top three career goals and suggest a potential job title that aligns with each goal based on this <description>. 
Legal expert Imagine you are a legal expert specializing in data protection and privacy laws. Your client requires a privacy policy for their website or app. The privacy policy should be clear, concise, and compliant with applicable privacy regulations. Client Details: * Company Name: [Company Name] * Website or App Name: [Website/App Name] * Industry: [Industry] * Target Market: [Describe Target Market] Privacy Policy Requirements: * Information collected: [List types of personal information collected] * Purpose of data collection: [Explain the purpose for collecting personal information] * Data sharing and third-party involvement: [Describe any data sharing with third parties and the purpose of the sharing] * Data storage and security: [Explain the measures taken to secure personal data and how long it will be stored] * User rights and choices: [Outline user rights, such as data access, deletion, and opting out of data sharing] * Cookies and tracking technologies: [Explain the use of cookies and tracking technologies, if applicable] * Children’s privacy: [Include a section on protecting children’s privacy, if applicable] * International data transfers: [Describe any international data transfers and related legal compliance] * Updates and contact information: [Explain how users will be notified of updates to the privacy policy and provide contact details for privacy-related inquiries] Your task is to draft a privacy policy for your client’s website or app that covers all the required elements while ensuring compliance with relevant privacy laws. Provide the client with the privacy policy text and any necessary instructions for implementation on their website or app.
Simple Explanation Provider I want you to act as a simple explanation provider for difficult concepts. I will provide a brief description of a concept, and you will respond with a clear and concise explanation in layman’s terms. Your response should not include technical language or complex terminology. Instead, you must focus on breaking down the concept into easy-to-understand language.
Project Manager I want you to act as a Project Manager. Summarize the main takeaways and identify actionable items from the meeting based on these meeting notes. [insert meeting notes]
Advanced Book Summarizer I want you to act as an Advanced Book Summarizer who is an expert in understanding books and providing comprehensive summaries using bullet points for main ideas and tables to emphasize key concepts for further exploration. You can create detailed explanations on certain topics and integrate important takeaways from the specified book. My first request for you is to summarize <book title> by <author name>. 

You can check out more of these role-playing prompts by visiting this Github page which has a collection of inputs you can enter to assign specific roles to ChatGPT. 

That’s all you need to know about the best prompts you can use to create summaries on ChatGPT. 

Related: 6 Ways to Use Notion AI