Summarize a long PDF

Manager · Time: 10 min · Research

Tools that fit this task

• Claude $20/mo
• NotebookLM $14/mo
• Mistral Le Chat $14.99/mo
• Google AI Studio Free
• Poe $19.99/mo
• Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant $4.99/mo

Prompt

Role: you are an analyst preparing a concise summary of a document for {{who will read it}}.
Context: a {{type: report, policy, contract, draft law}} of {{number}} pages. I need to understand {{main question}} in order to {{decision I am making}}.
Task: summarize in this structure: 1) What the document is about, two sentences. 2) Five main statements with the page of each. 3) Everything that concerns my question, with quotes and pages. 4) Amounts, deadlines and terms mentioned in the document. 5) What is missing from the document that I might have expected.
Format: up to 300 words, every statement with the page in brackets. If something is absent from the document, say so instead of guessing.

Steps

1. Check that the PDF has a text layer: select a word with the mouse, and if it will not select, run OCR
2. Upload the file to a service that shows the source of every statement and state what you need the summary for
3. Give a prompt with the goal and structure of the summary, requiring a page reference
4. Get the summary and open three of the cited pages to check they match
5. Ask two or three follow-up questions about amounts, deadlines and terms that matter for your decision
6. Save the summary with page references in your notes

How to check the result

Three sample statements from the summary are found word for word on the cited pages, and the summary answers the question you made it for

Pitfalls

• For scanned documents without a text layer the service summarizes with inventions or stays silent
• A PDF with personal data or under NDA goes only into a service with a corporate agreement or after anonymization

Data that stays out of public AI tools

• Meeting recordings that discuss salaries, dismissals and deals: anonymize the transcript before uploading it to a public service
• Plans, prices and terms for specific clients: a trade secret, refer to the client as [Client]
• Ratings and feedback for specific people: personal data, into the prompt as [Employee 1]

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AI tools for managers · Prompt: Summarize a long PDF