SmartSummarize

Lecture summarizer

Paste the transcript of a recorded lecture, or your rough class notes. You get study notes: the key terms with definitions, the main points in order, the examples used and three review questions.

Key terms with definitionsReview questionsKeeps timestamps

Lecture transcript or notes

0 / 60,000 characters · 0 words
Format
More options: focus, output language

Tip: press Ctrl + Enter (⌘ + Enter on Mac) in the box to summarize.

Summary

Your summary will appear here, with how much shorter it is than the original.

  1. Paste or upload your text, or press Try a sample.
  2. Pick a format and length.
  3. Press Make study notes. The summary appears as it is written.

How to use the lecture summarizer

  1. Copy the transcript from your lecture-capture platform (Panopto, Echo360, Zoom, Teams or YouTube captions) or upload it as .txt, .docx or PDF.
  2. Keep Key points for full study notes, or choose Bullets for a quick outline.
  3. Press Make study notes. Use the review questions to test yourself before you reread.

Why notes beat rewatching

Rewatching an hour-long recording is slow, and rereading is one of the least effective ways to study. Dunlosky and colleagues’ 2013 review of learning techniques in Psychological Science in the Public Interest rated practice testing as one of the most effective techniques and rereading as low utility. That is why the lecture summarizer ends with review questions built only from what the lecturer said: answer them from memory first, then check your notes.

Key concepts are listed only when the lecturer actually explains them, so the definitions match your course, not a textbook from somewhere else.

Getting a transcript

Most lecture-capture systems generate captions automatically. In Panopto and Echo360 look for a captions or transcript tab under the recording; in Zoom, cloud recordings can include an audio transcript; on YouTube, open the description and choose Show transcript. Timestamps are kept so you can jump back to a passage you did not understand.

An hour of lecturing is roughly 7,000 to 9,000 words. SmartSummarize takes up to 60,000 characters and splits long transcripts into sections automatically.

Questions people ask

Can I summarize a lecture recording directly?

Not the audio file. Paste or upload the transcript instead; nearly every lecture-capture platform and YouTube can produce one automatically.

Will it work with messy auto-captions?

Yes. Missing punctuation, filler words and timestamp lines are fine. Caption files with --> timing lines are cleaned when you paste them.

Is it allowed to use AI notes for my course?

Making study notes for yourself is generally fine, but check your institution’s policy before submitting anything AI-generated, and some lecturers do not allow recordings to be shared with third-party tools.

How long a lecture can I paste?

Up to 60,000 characters, about 9,000 to 10,000 words, which covers most single lectures. Longer transcripts can be split into two halves.

More ways to summarize