Summarise Long Research PDFs with Cohere’s Clever API

Sign up and find your API Key

Before we can ask the AI to read our document, we need a digital passkey to access its brain. This passkey is called an API Key (Application Programming Interface Key — a unique password that securely connects your computer or web browser directly to the AI engine).

1. Log into your new Cohere dashboard.
2. Look at the left-hand menu and find a tab labelled API Keys.
3. Copy the active "Trial" API key. Keep this key private, just like you would with a bank password.

Open the Cohere Playground

Writing code can be intimidating if you are just starting out. Thankfully, Cohere provides a Playground (an online sandbox or testing space where you can experiment with AI settings using simple buttons instead of writing code).

1. In your Cohere dashboard, look for the Playground button at the top or in the sidebar.
2. Select the Summarise option from the playground templates.
3. You will now see a large text box on the left and a few setting sliders on the right.

Extract and paste your PDF text

Currently, most APIs work best when you feed them raw text directly. We need to copy the text out of our PDF and give it to the tool.

1. Open your research PDF on your computer.
2. Highlight the main sections of the paper (the introduction, findings, and conclusion are usually the most important) and copy them.
3. Go back to your Cohere Playground window and paste the text into the big text box.

Customise your summary settings

On the right side of the screen, you will see a panel of options. These sliders let you tell the AI exactly how you want your information presented.

1. Length: Choose between Short, Medium, or Long. For a quick overview, "Short" is best.
2. Format: Choose Bullets (perfect for quick scanning) or Paragraph (better for a narrative style).
3. Extractiveness: This slider controls how close the summary stays to the original wording. Set it to Low if you want a plain-English translation, or High if you need the exact academic terms preserved.

Generate your summary

Now it is time to let the AI do the heavy lifting.

1. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Generate button.
2. Within a few seconds, a polished, easy-to-read summary will appear in the output window.
3. Copy this summary and save it in your study notes or work files for easy reference later.

Key Findings:

• The study tested 500 participants over twelve months.
• Using AI tools reduced administrative tasks by 40%.
• Participants reported higher satisfaction when using clear, visual interfaces.