All worked examples

Write a summary of a long document

Sample

A long report split into parts, each part summarized, one wrong number caught and fixed.

What goes in: the document
Community pantry annual report (five parts)
Part 1, Who we served: 4,812 households visited in 2025, up from 4,210 the year before.
Part 2, Food: 612,000 pounds were given out. 38% of it was fresh produce.
Part 3, Volunteers: 296 regular volunteers gave 18,400 hours.
Part 4, Money: income was $1.42 million, and 81% went to programs.
Part 5, Next year: open a second pickup site in March and hire a part-time driver.
Next: the first step runs
Step 1Map the document into parts
Step 2Summarize each part
Step 3Merge into one summary
Step 4Tighten the summary

What each check found

  1. Summarize each part
    Every number is in the document (A plain rule)
    ProblemFirst try, Part 3: wrote 18,000 hours. The document says 18,400.
    CheckSecond try: every number matches.
    Failed once, so the step ran again with the problem pointed out. Passed.
  2. Tighten the summary
    The summary is 300 words or fewer (A plain rule)
    CheckThe summary is under the 300-word limit.
    Passed, on to the final checks.
  3. Finished
    The summary is fair to the document (You check this one)
    Your turn. This check is yours.
Use this templateChange it in the Editor

More to step through

Turn meeting notes into decisions and actionsMessy notes in, a clean record out, with the one gap flagged instead of guessed.Review a draft before you send itOne draft read from two angles, with two claims the sources do not back, ranked into a fix list.See a workflow runThe parts, lit one at a time.