AutoSummarize

Word's AutoSummarize feature can automatically summarize a document to identify its key points. It does this by analyzing words and sentences and assigning them a score. More frequently used words get a higher score, identifying them as key points.

Tips

• AutoSummarize works best with documents that are highly structured, such as reports and articles.

• Review a summary before relying on it. It may not be as complete as it needs to be.

To automatically summarize a document

1.	Open the document you want to summarize.
2.	Choose Tools > AutoSummarize (Figure 13) to display the AutoSummarize dialog (Figure 36). Figure 36. The AutoSummarize dialog.
3.	Select the icon for the type of summary you want. The description beside each icon clearly explains what it does.
4.	If desired, use the Percent of original popup menu (Figure 37) to tell Word how long (or short!) the summary should be. Figure 37. Use this pop-up menu to specify how long you want the summary to be.
5.	To include the summary in the Summary tab of the Properties dialog, make sure the Update document statistics check box is turned on.
6.	Click OK. Word prepares the summary to your specifications. Figure 38 shows an example. Figure 38. Here's what the U. S. Constitution might look like after Word has highlighted its key points. Note the AutoSummarize toolbar that appears when you summarize with the Highlight key points option.

Tip

• I tell you about the Properties dialog in Chapter 16.