Mastering AI Summarization for Journal Articles: A Practical Guide
Written on
Chapter 1: Understanding the Summarization Dilemma
Summarizing journal articles with AI presents a unique challenge. If the summary is overly broad, it risks being generic and lacking depth. Conversely, a summary that is too detailed can become unwieldy, defeating the purpose of a quick read. This is particularly evident when dealing with extensive review articles, like those outlining scientific guidelines or lengthy expert opinions.
At times, I find myself overwhelmed while sifting through dense review articles. The sheer amount of detail can be daunting, leading me to take extensive notes and highlight nearly everything, only to forget the content later. This process can be exhausting.
Imagine if we could prompt an AI to distill what is truly essential in a journal article. From there, I could guide the AI to help me gather information for writing or for future reference. Essentially, I would ask the AI to create a roadmap highlighting crucial information to avoid getting lost in a sea of data—like missing important trees in a vast forest.
This method allows the AI the freedom to explore and convey what truly matters, particularly useful when tackling unfamiliar topics. Recently, I developed an advanced prompt that aids in swiftly navigating numerous journal articles, and I’m excited to share this with you.
The prompt draws inspiration from MyDpi's "ThinkBoost Prompt" for Perplexity, shared on July 21, 2024, in Perplexity's Discord community. It employs the Quiet Star and Tree of Thoughts methodologies for summarizing articles.
Section 1.1: The Value of the Advanced Summarization Prompt
What does the Advanced Summarization Prompt bring to the table? This prompt enables the AI to review diverse materials and reflect autonomously. It utilizes sophisticated prompt engineering techniques, specifically the "Quiet Star" and "Tree of Thoughts" methods. The AI will highlight the most important information and suggest areas for deeper focus.
By quoting sources directly, it minimizes the risk of hallucinations. The Summary Report is organized into three parts:
- Part 1: Quiet Star Method: A high-level overview of the article's main topics.
- Part 2: Tree of Thoughts Method: An expanded explanation based on the framework established in Part 1.
- Part 3: Comprehensive Summary: A combination of insights from Parts 1 and 2, including actionable conclusions.
For those wanting to explore a topic further, a "follow-up prompt" can be employed to dive deeper into specific areas of interest while maintaining source citations.
Subsection 1.1.1: Visual Aid
Section 1.2: Implementing the Summarization Prompt
To use the Advanced Summarization Prompt effectively:
- If you have a Perplexity Pro subscription, adjust the "Focus" setting to "Writing," select the model as Claude 3 Opus, paste the Advanced Summarization prompt, and press ENTER.
- Optionally, you can enter the "Follow-up Questions" prompt to request more detailed information and sources as needed.
This process is user-friendly and requires no coding skills.
Let's illustrate this with an example: Suppose we want to read a review article on cat handling (believe it or not, an extensive article exists on this topic!).
Here’s the citation for reference:
You don’t need to become an expert on felines to understand the content; it’s just a practical example of how to utilize the summarization prompt.
Upload the article to Perplexity, paste the Advanced Summarization Prompt, and hit ENTER. Ensure the focus is set to "Writing" so the AI centers on the uploaded document rather than searching online for answers.
This process yields a Summary Report for the article.
Chapter 2: Generating a Summary Report
In the Summary Report, the article's title and publication year are prominently displayed.
Part 1 presents a high-level summary crafted using the Quiet Star Method, synthesizing key topics from the article. This overview is more than a mere recitation of the table of contents; the AI condenses the material into essential elements.
Part 2 builds on the initial outline, offering deeper insights akin to a PowerPoint presentation, utilizing the Tree of Thoughts method to elaborate on the key points.
Part 3 delivers a concise ten-point overview of the article's primary ideas, combining insights from the first two parts, alongside a Call to Action and Conclusion.
The Call to Action highlights necessary future actions and identifies gaps in existing knowledge for potential research. The Conclusion succinctly encapsulates the article's main takeaways.
Should you wish to explore specific topics within the article, utilize the "Follow-up Questions" prompt to guide the AI to your areas of interest. For example, if you are keen on Part 3, Point 2, and want insights into "protective emotions" and "cat handling," simply provide that input.
The AI will extract relevant details, presenting clear and detailed explanations, ensuring you receive precise information without extraneous searching. It will also provide direct quotes from the article, helping to avoid potential inaccuracies.
In conclusion, navigating scholarly journal articles can be daunting, but this structured approach to summarization can significantly enhance your research and study efficiency!
Here are the prompts for your reference:
(1) Advanced Summarization Prompt
###### Geeky Animals Advanced Summarization Prompt V1.2 ######
Your task is to review the attached materials and prepare a detailed summary report on the article.
The report has three parts.
Use markdown to format the report. Bold the headers. Put separators between the parts.
Part 1: Quiet Star Method
Use the Quiet Star method to generate a list of key aspects discussed in the article.
The Quiet Star method involves calmly reflecting on the subject and noting the various facets, ideas, and important questions that come to mind, like the branches of a star.
Write and format the key aspects into a list.
Part 2: Tree of Thoughts Method
Use the Tree of Thoughts method to explore each of the identified key aspects in depth. For each aspect, consider different perspectives, implications, possible causes, and consequences.
Let your thoughts branch out freely like the branches of a tree. Capture your reflections for each key aspect into a list.
Part 3: Summary
After completing the Quiet Star and Tree of Thoughts exercises, take a step back and consider the lessons learned.
Summarize the article in 10 points. Remove the citations from the response.
[Call to action] Provide a call to action. Bold the subheader.
[Conclusion] Create a concise conclusion that restates the main points and offers a final thought. Bold the subheader.
###### Format the report in this way: ######
Italicize all scientific names.
#Title of the article (year of publication)#
Part 1: Quiet Star Method ###
- X
- X
Part 2: Tree of Thoughts Method ###
- X
- X
Part 3: Summary ###
- X
- X
#### Call to action ####
- X
- X
#### Conclusion ####
X
(2) Follow-up Questions Prompt
###### Geeky Animals Follow-up Questions V1.2 ######
Your task is to provide answers to the user's questions and generate a detailed report.
The report has two parts.
Use markdown to format the report. Italicize all scientific names.
Prompt the users to provide the following input:
- The section(s) of the report that require further information
- The keywords of interest
Part 1: Explanation
- Use input (a) and explain your answers in detail. Please provide examples if available. Do not look for additional information on the internet.
- Regarding the responses in Instruction 1 of Part 1, please provide specific information about the User input (b), if available.
Part 2: Sources in quotes
- Repeat Part 1 but this time only cite sources from the attached materials in quotes. No paraphrasing.
###### Format the report in this way: ######
Italicize all scientific names.
Name of the section(s) ##
Part 1: Elaboration ###
XX
Keywords ###
XX
Part 2: Sources in quotes ###
- X
- X
Keywords ###
- X
- X
Related stories
Conclusion
Summarizing articles can be complex, requiring a balance between brevity and substance. The "Advanced Summarization" prompts, inspired by the "ThinkBoost Prompt" method, leverage the Quiet Star and Tree of Thoughts techniques to produce a structured Summary Report. This report features an overview, detailed explanations, and a ten-point summary, while allowing users to explore topics further through the "Follow-up Questions" prompt. The AI will provide direct citations to ensure accuracy.
Affiliate Disclosure
I hope you find this information helpful!
Please show your support by clapping or commenting, which helps Medium recognize valuable content. Share this Friend Link for free access to this story. Your encouragement drives me to create even better content in the future!
Stay updated by following me on Medium for more insights and tips on Midjourney, Perplexity, and more!
Sign up here for free email alerts when I post new stories.