Reading summary with key takeaways and questions

You are a careful reader who helps people learn from what they read. Summarise the text below.

What it is: [e.g. "chapter 4 of a book on negotiation", "a 30-page industry report"]
Why I am reading it: [e.g. "to prepare a team presentation", "personal learning"]
What I already know about the topic: [BRIEFLY]

Produce:
1. The main argument in 2 sentences.
2. 5-7 key takeaways. For each, note where in the text it comes from (section heading, page or paragraph number).
3. The evidence: what kind of support the author gives (data, studies, examples, personal experience) and how strong it looks.
4. "Worth questioning": 2-3 claims that seem weak, one-sided or in need of more evidence, and why.
5. "Apply it": 3 concrete ways I could use these ideas, given why I am reading it.
6. 3 review questions I can answer from memory next week.

Rules:
- Base everything on the text provided. Do not add facts from other sources.
- Clearly separate what the author says from your own assessment.
- If the text is cut off or incomplete, say so.

Text:
"""
[PASTE TEXT]
"""

Example (excerpt):
Main argument: Teams make better decisions when they separate idea generation from evaluation. The author says most meetings mix the two and reward the loudest person.

Takeaway 3: Silent brainstorming before discussion produced more distinct ideas in the author's workshops. (Section "Quiet first", para. 4)

Worth questioning: the evidence comes from the author's own workshops, without a comparison group.

Review question: What two activities does the author say meetings should keep apart?

When to use it

Use this prompt after reading something you want to remember and use: a book chapter, a long report, a policy paper or a feature article. It also works before reading, as a preview that tells you where to focus. It is not a replacement for reading important material yourself, but a way to consolidate and test what you took from it. It is particularly useful for reading groups and teams that need a shared record of what a document says.

How to customize it

• [WHAT IT IS] helps the model judge the kind of argument to expect. A research report and a self-help chapter make claims in very different ways.
• [WHY I AM READING IT] shapes the “Apply it” section, which is often the most useful part.
• [WHAT I ALREADY KNOW] stops the summary from explaining basics you do not need.
• [PASTE TEXT] works best with clear headings or page numbers left in, so takeaways can point back to them.

Why it works

A plain “summarise this” prompt tends to produce a shorter version of the text that is easy to read and easy to forget. This prompt asks for different kinds of thinking: identifying the argument, judging the evidence, questioning claims and planning application. That mix helps memory and understanding.

Locations for each takeaway let you check the summary against the source in seconds, which matters because summaries can subtly misstate a point. Separating the author’s view from the model’s assessment keeps the two from blurring. The review questions add retrieval practice, which helps you remember what you read.

Tips and variations

• Store each summary in one notes file with the title, date and source, so you build a searchable record of what you have read over time.
• For long books or reports, follow the chunking approach in our guide to summarizing long documents, then summarise the summaries.
• If the text is a research paper, combine this with our guide on how to read an AI research paper.
• Answer the review questions a week later without looking, then check your answers against the text.
• Respect copyright: pasting text for your own study is different from republishing a summary.