Research & summarize
6 decisions a prompt of this kind should make on purpose, and 6 things worth leaving out. One of them is something only you can supply — we leave it blank rather than let a model invent it.
summarize, summarise, tldr, tl;dr, key points, key takeaways, gist, recap, compare, comparison, vs, difference between, pros and cons, extract, pull out, digest, overview, brief me, condense, synthesize
- _Source materialOnly you know this. Require the pasted/attached text or link; if only a topic was named, flag that no source was supplied rather than inventing content.
- +Output format & length5-7 tight bullets, most important first, plus a one-sentence takeaway on top; ~150 words unless the source is long.
- +Focus / angleFor a general reader: capture the main thesis, key evidence, and conclusions; ask the angle if stakes are high.
- +Audience & purposeAssume an intelligent non-specialist who hasn't seen the source; define jargon briefly, keep it self-contained.
- +Fidelity constraintsStick strictly to the source, add nothing, preserve figures/entities exactly, and mark anything ambiguous rather than guessing.
- +Comparison dimensionsFor compare tasks, pick 4-6 decision-relevant axes and render a table with a 'which to choose when' verdict.
Left out for this type: role ('expert summarizer'); vague 'concise/comprehensive' adjectives; engaging-tone direction that invites embellishment; asking for 'interesting insights' (adds claims); few-shot examples (a format spec is cheaper); 'read carefully, think step by step' ceremony