*Microsoft defines AutoSummarize as the following; AutoSummarize identifies the key points in a document for you to share with others or quickly scan. AutoSummarize works best on well-structured documents such as reports, articles, and scientific papers.

Often times when a student encounters a document with many pages, they may be overwhelmed and may not even attempt to read the text. Using the “AutoSummarize” feature in Word allows the teachers to copy and paste many pages of text and then decide how small or large the summary should be. Websites such as http://www.gutenberg.org or http://etext.virginia.edu/ebooks allows you to download many out of copyright books including the classics. At www.sparknote.com a user can download summaries of many books. The plot overview is a great way to give students a sneak peek at what they will be reading.

1. Either type or copy and paste selected text into Word
2. Drag down the Tool menu to AutoSummarize. Choose from one of the following.
    a. Highlight key points- Highlights the key points on the document itself
    b. Creates a new document and have the summary placed there.
    c. Inserts an abstract at the top of the document.
    d. Hides everything except the summary on the same document.

*Set the length of the summary by choosing or moving the slider to the desired percent of summarization or changing the "Percent of original" in the window