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AutoSummarize a document in Microsoft Office Word 2007

Learn how to AutoSummarize a document into key points or an outline using Microsoft Office Word 2007.

Video: AutoSummarize a document

The AutoSummary Tools in Office Word 2007 can highlight and assemble key points of a document. A student can use it to AutoSummarize a long list of science articles or even to quickly create an abstract for a finished history report. Watch the video

How it works

The AutoSummary Tools in Microsoft Office Word 2007 can highlight and assemble key points of a document. For example, a student could use Office Word 2007 to create an automatic summary of a number of long science articles or to quickly create an abstract for a finished history report. The student runs AutoSummarize and then edits the summary.

AutoSummarize analyzes a document and then assigns a score to each sentence. Students can decide the amount of detail they want (for example, a summary of 10 sentences or 20 sentences), and AutoSummarize uses the scoring system to extract the key points and assemble them automatically. After AutoSummarize finishes, the student can edit the results to their liking.

Using AutoSummarize requires first adding the command to the Quick Access toolbar.

Add AutoSummary tools to the Quick Access toolbar

  1. In the title bar at the top of the Office Word 2007 window, click the Customize Quick Access toolbar arrow to the right of the Quick Access toolbar.
  2. Click More Commands.
  3. In the Word Options dialog box, click Choose commands from, and select All Commands.
  4. In the list, select AutoSummary Tools, click Add, and then click OK. The AutoSummary Tools command is added to the Quick Access toolbar. Image of how to autosummarize a document

AutoSummarize a document

  1. Open the Office Word 2007 document that you want to summarize.
  2. In the Quick Access toolbar, click AutoSummary Tools, and then click Auto Summarize. Office Word 2007 summarizes the document.
  3. In the AutoSummarize dialog box, select the way that you would like Office Word 2007 to display the summary:
    1. Highlight key points. Word highlights the key sentences in yellow throughout the document. To remove the highlighting, click the AutoSummary Tools button, and then click Close.
  4. Insert an executive summary or abstract at the top of the document. The key sentences are assembled at the beginning of the document.
  5. Create a new document, and put the summary there. The key sentences are assembled in a new document.
  6. Hide everything but the summary without leaving the original document. Use this option only if you are sure that you do not want to keep the original document. To undo the summarized document and return to the original, click the AutoSummary Tools button, and then click Close.
  7. Click Percent of Original, and select the percentage of the original content (or the number of sentences or words) that you want in the summary.
  8. Select the Update document statistics check box if you want Office Word 2007 to modify document properties.
  9. Click OK, and Office Word 2007 creates the summary you selected.

 

   

 

   
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