"An Automatic Text Summarizer"

Supervised by Professor RJ Gaizauskas

Abstract

Automatic text summarization is a process in which a computer takes a text document as input and outputs a summary of that document. There are various approaches to it, some of which have been around for more than 40 years. In general we talk about single document summarization and multi-document summarization.

This project focuses on multi-document summarization. Its aim is to create a theoretical foundation for the implementation of a multi-document summarization system. I review some of the more recent findings in the area and then I further discuss the approaches that are particularly suitable for this project. Finally the design, implementation and evaluation of the new system are documented.