Extractive Summarization

Extractive summarization is a natural language processing technique that creates summaries by selecting and preserving key words, phrases, or sentences directly from the original text, rather than generating new text (which is called abstractive summarization). In accessibility contexts, extractive summarization is particularly valuable for non-visual skimming because it maintains the original language and phrasing, allowing screen reader users to encounter the same content they would find in the full text. This preservation of original content supports comprehension and reduces the risk of introducing errors through paraphrasing.