Summarize PDF

The Summarize PDF API is an AI-powered REST API Tool that uses OpenAI technology to intelligently process and condense the text content of any PDF document. It extracts key information and generates high-quality, actionable summaries based on your precise specifications.

The API guarantees precise summarization through a two-step process. First, it converts the PDF content into Markdown format, which preserves the document's structure (headings, lists, etc.) to provide richer context for the AI model. This structured input allows the OpenAI engine to produce significantly more accurate and contextually relevant summaries than if it only used plain text.

You can precisely control the length of the summary using the target_word_count parameter. Simply set this to any positive integer to ensure the output is concise for a quick overview or detailed for deeper comprehension. The exact word count will vary somewhat, placing focus on quality, but choosing a target word count will ensure a close match with the length of output you are looking for.

What options are available for styling the summary output? The `summary_format` parameter allows you to tailor the output style to meet specific use cases. Here are the accepted formats and what they generate:

• overview (Default)
  • Description: A concise summary capturing the main ideas and overall theme in a high-level paragraph format.
  • Use Cases: Executive briefings, product introductions, quick comprehension.
• highlight
  • Description: Key points or the most important information extracted and emphasized, typically in short bullet points.
  • Use Cases: Meeting recaps, news digests, academic article takeaways, stakeholder updates.
• abstract
  • Description: A brief, formal summary outlining the document's purpose, methods, and key findings.
  • Use Cases: Research papers, scientific reports, grant proposals, journal submissions.
• bullet_points
  • Description: Short, organized statements using bullet points for clarity and easy reading.
  • Use Cases: To-do lists, project overviews, general takeaways.
• numbered_list
  • Description: Ordered items for step-by-step processes or ranked priorities.
  • Use Cases: Instructions, process flows, ranked lists, checklist creation.
• table_of_contents
  • Description: A navigational list of document sections with titles and brief summaries of each section's content.
  • Use Cases: Manuals, long reports, eBooks, presentation handouts.
• outline
  • Description: A structured summary that hierarchically organizes main and supporting points (using roman numerals, letters, etc.).
  • Use Cases: Planning documents, essays, project scoping, lecture notes.
• question_answer
  • Description: Information structured as questions and corresponding answers for maximum clarity.
  • Use Cases: FAQ pages, customer support, help documentation, test or interview prep.
• action_items
  • Description: A list of specific tasks or next steps derived from the discussion or document.
  • Use Cases: Meeting follow-ups, project management, accountability tracking, team assignments.

Find examples of each format in the following tutorial: How to Choose the Right PDF Summary Format Style

Yes, you can precisely limit the scope of the summarization using the pages parameter. You can specify a single page number (e.g., 5) or a page range (e.g., 1-5, 10-last) to ensure the AI focuses only on the most relevant content, excluding elements like cover pages or appendices.

You have flexible control over the output delivery using the `output_type` parameter:

1. json (Default): The summary text is included directly within the JSON response for immediate, seamless integration into your application.
2. file: A secure download URL is provided, allowing you to retrieve the summary as a separate downloadable file.

The API supports two formats for the final summary text, controlled by the output_format parameter: plaintext and markdown.

By setting the output_format to markdown, the summary text is automatically structured with headings, lists, and emphasis. This makes the content clean, readable, and ready for immediate rendering in web or mobile applications without needing post-processing cleanup.

Ensuring the security and privacy of your data is a top priority at pdfRest. Our platform is built for robust, enterprise-grade security and compliance, including GDPR and HIPAA. All your files are secured with encryption during both transit and at-rest, and they are permanently deleted after the stated file retention period (30 minutes for most plans).

No. Your files and any data you provide are never used for AI training. We partner with OpenAI through their API, and as stated in their privacy policy, they do not train models on data used through their API.

To facilitate GDPR compliance for your summarization workflows, pdfRest processes your data within the European Union and adheres to other strict data protection requirements. You can ensure all processing occurs within the EU by sending your API calls to the dedicated EU endpoint. Please note that a GDPR usage fee may apply for some plans.

Integrating the Summarize PDF API is straightforward. We offer comprehensive API documentation and code samples in many programming languages. The API Lab also allows you to test and generate code snippets directly from your browser, simplifying the setup and ensuring a smooth integration experience.

No, the Summarize PDF API is not available in self-hosted versions of our product. This tool relies on calling out to the OpenAI API, and our self-hosted products only support fully self-contained processing capabilities. To use PDF Summarization, you must use our Cloud API service.