How to Use Claude for Research Summaries
The exact prompt, setup, and codes to get great results.
The Problem
Staying current with medical literature is a firehose. Hundreds of papers publish weekly in every specialty. Clinicians need the key findings without reading 20-page papers.
The Prompt (Copy & Paste)
Summarize this research paper/study. Paper title: [TITLE] Journal: [WHERE PUBLISHED] Target audience: [CLINICIANS / RESEARCHERS / STUDENTS / GENERAL PUBLIC] Paper text or key sections: [PASTE ABSTRACT + KEY SECTIONS, OR FULL PAPER] Summarize: 1. **One-sentence takeaway**: What did they find? (plain English) 2. **Study design**: Type, size, duration, population 3. **Key findings**: Top 3 results with numbers (effect sizes, p-values, CIs) 4. **Strengths**: What makes this study credible 5. **Limitations**: What weakens the conclusions (funding, sample size, methodology) 6. **Clinical relevance**: Does this change practice? For whom? 7. **Context**: How does this fit with existing evidence on this topic? Format: Use a structured template that's scannable in 2 minutes. Tone: Scientific but accessible. Explain statistics in context. NOTE: This is a summary aid. Clinical decisions should consider the full body of evidence.
Replace the [BRACKETED] placeholders with your specific details.
What You Get
A structured 2-minute summary that tells you whether this paper matters for your practice. Includes limitations and context — not just the headline finding. Saves 30+ minutes per paper.
Prompt Codes That Help
Add these prefix codes to the start of your prompt for even better results:
Click any code to see its before/after examples and learn how it works.
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