Q. How can I use generative AI to better summarize articles?

Before using a generative AI tool in your assignment, be sure that your instructor has given you permission to do so. See the infographic linked below to make sure you understand KPU's policy for students using ChatGPT and similar tools in their academic work.

Also, be aware that your use of generative AI has potential environmental and social impacts. See the Environmental and Social Impacts of genAI page on the library's guide.

You may want to use a generative AI tool to summarize an academic article or group of articles.

Rather than starting with a simple prompt like "please summarize this", consider asking for more specific types of output such as "five bulleted points" or "a 200 word paragraph". Also, ask the tool to support its points with direct quotes or highlights from the article itself. Consider asking for an evaluative conclusion or a statement about the article's usefulness for your particular research project.

Example prompt: "Summarize this article in a 200 word paragraph. Identify main points and support with direct quotes from the article. Include main findings and end with a statement on the usefulness of the study for [research project]."

Be careful! Using AI to summarize academic content is not always a shortcut. There are a couple of things to watch out for:

Accuracy: You will need to check the AI generated summary against the article to make sure it is has consistently and accurately captured the main points. This means comparing the output against the original article, using the abstract but also skimming other relevant sections to verify claims. Using a genAI tool to summarize an article is NOT the same as reading the article yourself; instead, think of it as a tool to help you locate relevant information for your research.

And note that copying the generated summary and using it in an annotated bibliography or similar assignment, without acknowledging its source, is a violation of academic integrity.

Copyright: You must also make sure that you are not infringing on the author's copyright. Upload only content with a Creative Commons or Public Domain license. See our KPU Library FAQ for copyright and AI linked below.