Research Summary Prompt Template

Use this template to turn raw research material, articles, transcripts, or reports into a focused, useful summary for a specific audience and purpose.

Template

Summarize the following source material for a specific purpose.

CONTEXT
[What is this research about? Why is it being summarized? What decision, project, or question does it support?]

AUDIENCE
[Who will use this summary and what will they do with it?
Examples: product team making a build decision / leadership reviewing market position / support team learning about a new issue type]

FOCUS
[What aspect of the material matters most for this audience's purpose?
Examples: key findings / risks and concerns / competitive positioning / recommended actions / surprising or counterintuitive points]

EXCLUDE
[What is out of scope?
Examples: implementation details / historical background / statistical methodology / anything that does not apply to our context]

FORMAT
[How should the summary be organized?
Examples: executive summary (3-4 sentences) followed by key findings as bullets / three sections by theme / one paragraph per source / pros and cons comparison]

LENGTH
[How long should this be?
Examples: under 400 words / one page / no more than five bullet points]

SOURCE MATERIAL
[Paste research, article text, transcript, report sections, or notes here]

Tips for using this template

Be specific about the focus. "Key findings" is okay. "Key findings that affect our pricing strategy" is better.
If the source material is long, consider chunking it: summarize one section at a time, then ask AI to synthesize.
For leadership-facing summaries, remove the detail and add a "so what" instruction: "For each finding, add one sentence on what it means for our decision."
If you want a neutral summary, say so explicitly: "Summarize without editorializing."

Refinement prompts to keep handy

"Some of these points are too abstract. For each finding, add a one-sentence statement of the practical implication."
"This is too comprehensive. Cut it down to the three findings that directly affect [specific decision or topic]."
"The summary reads too much like the original. Rewrite in plain language aimed at someone who has not read the source."
"Add a one-sentence 'so what' at the top before the detailed findings."