Here’s another example of a detailed prompt that I use both in DEVONthink and with the Obsidian Web Clipper. I use it to generate focussed summaries of long-form magazine and journal articles I’ve included in my research and learning repositories.
Provide a comprehensive summary of the selected article. Identify and explain the main thesis and supporting arguments in 2-3 paragraphs. Create 2-5 focused sections with clear headers that address the most important aspects of the content. Use descriptive headers that capture the essence of each point. Keep each section substantial but concise. Focus on the intellectual framework and connections between ideas rather than just listing facts. Add a list of keywords I can use to tag the contents.
I’ve started adding this text to the prompt for articles that reference a substantial number of people, works of art, other texts, etc.
Add a list of persons, books, films, musical compositions, or works of art mentioned in the article.
If the article is about a topic that I’m not wholly conversant with, I might add the following to the prompt (and use with caution):
Address the wider significance, impact, or applications of the ideas presented. List 4-6 related works, authors, concepts, or research directions that would deepen my understanding of the topic.
These summaries aren’t a substitute for reading and digesting the article yourself or writing your own précis, but they’re useful as a quick refresher, especially if your own notes aren’t exactly tip-top.
This Anthropic YouTube video on effective prompting techniques is really helpful if you’re new to crafting prompts.