How To Summarize A Wikipedia Article

How To Summarize A Wikipedia Article? - 2 Easy Methods

Wikipedia offers a wealth of knowledge on millions of topics, which extend to numerous articles and references. Learning from Wikipedia can be a fascinating yet a time-consuming process, as it takes you into a deep dive of knowledge that consumes hours of your precious time.

Each article on Wikipedia contains tables, links to other articles, references, and lots of material that provides you with a complete encyclopedia on your relevant topic. In such  cases, finding a simple definition or a direct answer can be challenging from tens and thousands of words.

But what if we tell you that there is a way to make lengthy Wikipedia articles concise so you can read them easily? There are a couple of tricks to summarize long Wikipedia articles, and we will show you how. In this article, we are going to guide you on how to summarize a Wikipedia article / page by using two different methods, one involving the ReadPartner AI summarizer and another method being more direct. Let’s begin!

Why Should You Summarize Wikipedia Articles?

All the information on Wikipedia can be overwhelming. Getting a concise or summarized version of Wikipedia articles makes it easier to study and absorb only the information you need for business, academia or casual research. Here are some reasons why summarizing Wikipedia articles can be beneficial:

Time-Saving: Reading a summary can save you plenty of time. You can learn about the whole article by reading a short version of it instead of going through the entire text. 

Highlights the Main Points: A summarized version of a Wikipedia article highlights the key details from each paragraph. As a result, it helps you learn more effectively because you are able to focus only on the main points of the articles by covering bite-sized pieces of information. 

Productive for Studying: When you read a summarized version of a Wikipedia article, you are able to learn the material and its contents more effectively. As a result, summarizing ensures that you have a productive study session by reducing the time spent on reading.

How To Summarize A Wikipedia Article: Step-by-Step Guide

We have collected two easy methods below that guide you on how to summarize a Wikipedia article. You can read over these steps and summarize Wikipedia articles within seconds. 

Method #1: Change The URL To Summarize a Wikipedia Article

The first method is pretty simple, and is a native function of Wikipedia. In this method, you just have to change the URL of the Wikipedia article you want to summarize by following these steps:

1. Visit the page that you want to read on Wikipedia.
2. Click on the URL in your browser to access the article.
3. Now, focus on the first characters in the link before “wikipedia.org.” 
   1. If you are viewing the article in the English language, then the first characters would be “en” right after “https://”
4. Click on the URL to edit it and replace “en” with “simple,” and you will get the summarized version of that Wikipedia article.

Here is an example of an article about the United Nations to show you the difference between the original URL and the one used to generate a summary

What Are The Drawbacks Of This Method?

Replacing the Wikipedia article link from en or some other language may seem like a straightforward method. However, this method does have its own usage limitations. Two of its most impactful limitations are that one, you cannot get the summary of every article on Wikipedia by putting “simple” in the URL.

The other is that this method works best for only extracting dates from the article and bringing a series of events in chronological order. However, it may not be the best option for summarizing a Wikipedia article if you’re looking to gain in-depth contextual insight through key information points. 

Method #2: Summarize a Wikipedia Article with AI Tools

Artificial Intelligence has certainly made its contributions to content summarization. In 2024, a tool like ReadPartner is a prominent example of how AI helps you get a summarized version of a lengthy article in a matter of seconds.

ReadPartner leverages advanced algorithms to generate a summary automatically by scanning the key points in an article and then compiling them in a matter of seconds. Follow these steps to summarize content with the ReadPartner AI tool:

1. Visit ReadPartner.com and click on “Start Using.”
2. Sign in with your account. 
3. You can create one for free if you don’t have an account.
4. In the Website section, paste the link of the Wikipedia article and then press the “Enter.”

Now, within a matter of seconds, you will get the summarized version of the whole article that is much more convenient to read.

You can also modify the settings in order to receive the summary in a way more convenient to you. A Summarizer Chrome Browser Extension is also available which allows you to summarize any page including Wikipedia pages in one click without leaving the browser tab.

How Are AI Tools Helpful For Summarizing Articles?

AI tools like ReadPartner make it easier to generate a concise version of a Wikipedia article with their intuitive features mentioned below: 

• Custom Summary Generation: AI tools give you a number of options to customize the summary you wish to extract from a complete article. You can set the length, response type, and response behavior to adjust the tone and word count of the end result.
• Choice of Language: The best thing about using an AI tool is that you can generate a summary in the language of your choice. So, if a Wikipedia article shows a summary only in the English language, then you can use an AI tool to get the perfect summary in the language of your choice.
• Quick and Accurate Results: It only takes a few seconds for an AI tool to generate an accurate and error free summary for you that contains all the key points of the Wikipedia article. You can always customize the results based on the options available in the summarizer settings.

Things To Consider While Summarizing Wikipedia Articles With Artificial Intelligence

If you are willing to summarize a Wikipedia page on your own or wish to check the accuracy of a summary generated by a tool, then here are some factors that you must consider about a summary.

• Identifying key points: Make sure that the mentioned summary contains the key points about the Wikipedia article and not just the generic information from the first paragraph. Quite often, the summary generated by a tool could miss out on the key points depending on its length.
• Avoid Oversimplification: Summarizing means that you should present a simple version of a Wikipedia article. However, it shouldn’t oversimplify the terms that may not fit in the context of the article’s summary.
• Check for Vocabulary: Summarization tools often paraphrase content with an excess of passive voice and complex vocabulary, which makes it difficult to read. After summarizing the content with an AI tool, read it thoroughly to make sure it's easy to read.
• Key Points are Covered: Make sure the main idea and key points are covered in the summary. This factor may vary depending on the length you set for summarizing a Wikipedia article. Also check for the dates and other information containing numbers mentioned in the article.

FAQs

How Do I Summarize A Wikipedia Article?

You can summarize a Wikipedia article by using an AI summarizing tool like ReadPartner AI or by replacing the “en” in the Wikipedia article’s link with “simple.”

What Are The Guidelines For Writing An Effective Summary?

While writing a summary, write in full and concise sentences which contain the most important information from the content to be summarized. Moreover, you have to exclude the minor unnecessary details.

What Are The 5 R’s Of Summary Writing?

The 5 rules of summary writing are reduce, reject, reword, reproduce, and repackage. When you generate a summary using the methods in this article, make sure to check the results based on the 5 R’s. With this technique, you’ll know how to summarize a Wikipedia article in the most effective way possible.

What Is The Quickest Way Of Summarizing An Article?

The quickest way to summarize an article is to use AI summarization tools such as ReadPartner and its Chrome Browser Extension.

Conclusion

Wikipedia is one of the most effective platforms for finding information on various topics. However, going through so much information can be time consuming. Summarizing Wikipedia pages makes it easier for you to digest the key points from heaps of information in the article. Summarizing also helps readers to skip the complexities of going through unnecessary information. 

As a result, you can save time by getting direct access to important information instead of going through the complete article. By following the steps mentioned in this article, you can easily summarize Wikipedia articles to make them convenient to absorb. For a quick and effective summary, you can use AI-powered tools like ReadPartner with transparent pricing plans.

References & Key Information:

• https://www.grammarly.com/blog/paraphrasing-vs-summarizing/ 
• https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-summarize-a-research-paper/ 
• https://www.addictivetips.com/web/summary-for-a-wikipedia-article/ 
• https://medium.com/@chrris7270/the-benefits-of-reading-book-summaries-for-busy-professionals-b28897a27cd9 
• https://medium.com/uncomplicate/explained-pro-cons-of-reading-book-summaries-1d6bbf5569c6 
• https://readpartner.com/blog/summary-vs-analysis