Multi-document Summarization via Deep Learning Techniques: A Survey

Multi-document summarization (MDS) is an effective tool for information aggregation which generates an informative and concise summary from a cluster of topic-related documents. Our survey structurally overviews the recent deep learning based multi-document summarization models via a proposed taxonomy and it is the first of its kind. Particularly, we propose a novel mechanism to summarize the design strategies of neural networks and conduct a comprehensive summary of the state-of-the-art. We highlight the differences among various objective functions which are rarely discussed in the existing literature. Finally, we propose several future directions pertaining to this new and exciting development of the field.