Getting Started with NotebookLM’s Notebook Guide

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Quick idea: In this activity you’ll turn a small pile of readings, notes, or webpages into a personal AI assistant that actually knows your stuff and cites it back to you.

Learning goals

By the end of this activity, you will be able to:

  • Build a notebook with multiple sources (PDFs, Docs, webpages, etc.).
  • Use Notebook Guide / Studio tools (Report, Audio, Flashcards, Quiz) on your own material.
  • Judge whether NotebookLM’s output is accurate, biased, or hallucinating by checking against the originals.

What NotebookLM does (2025 snapshot)

NotebookLM is a source-grounded AI workspace:

  • You load your own sources: PDFs, web pages, Google Docs/Slides/Sheets, YouTube links, audio files, images.
  • NotebookLM creates a notebook and lets you:
    • Chat with an AI that cites those sources.
    • Use Notebook Guide / Studio to generate reports, study guides, mind maps, timelines, audio/video overviews, flashcards, and quizzes.
  • Web research (via Deep Research) can be added later, but this activity focuses on your uploaded sources.

Accuracy & safety reminder

  • NotebookLM is strongest when it stays grounded in your sources.
  • Always skim the original document before trusting a summary.
  • For any “fact,” ask it to show the exact quote and source.

What you need for this activity

  • A Google account (for NotebookLM).
  • A laptop with Chrome/Firefox/Edge.
  • 2–4 short documents you care about, for example:
    • A course reading (PDF),
    • An assignment brief or project description,
    • A web page or blog post,
    • A slide deck or Google Doc.

You can use the workshop sample documents, or your own.

Step 1 – Create your first notebook

  1. Open notebooklm.google and sign in.
  2. Click New notebook.
  3. Give it a purposeful title, e.g.:
    • “CIVE 5xx – Literature Review”
    • “Thesis – Methodology Sources”
    • “Workshop Demo – NotebookLM”
  4. Add at least 2–3 sources:
    • Click Add source → upload a PDF or select a Google Doc/Slide/Sheet.
    • Paste a URL to a publicly accessible article or page.
    • (Optional) Add a YouTube link or audio file.

Pro tip: Mix formats in one notebook (PDF + web page + slides). NotebookLM is good at weaving them together, but you’ll want to know which source each idea came from.

Step 2 – Explore the source summaries

  1. In the left panel, click on a single source (one PDF, one webpage).
  2. Look at the source summary that NotebookLM generates:
    • Main summary paragraph(s),
    • Key topics,
    • People/places/terms it highlights.
  3. Scroll a bit through the original document and spot-check the summary:
    • Does it capture the main topic correctly?
    • Did it miss anything crucial?
    • Is any claim clearly wrong?

Mini reflection:
Write down 2–3 claims from the summary that you want to double-check later. You’ll use these when we talk about verification.

Step 3 – Use Notebook Guide: Reports & Study Guides

Now we use the Notebook Guide / Studio panel to generate more structured outputs.

  1. Open the Notebook Guide / Studio panel (exact name may vary by UI version).
  2. Choose a template like:
    • Briefing Doc / Report
    • Study Guide
    • FAQ / Q&A
  3. Set a clear audience and purpose, e.g.:
    • “Write a 300–400 word briefing for my supervisor who has not read these papers.”
    • “Create a study guide for a midterm exam, including key terms and short explanations.”
  4. Select which sources to include:
    • Start with 1–2 sources, not the entire notebook.
  5. Generate the output and skim:
    • Are key ideas represented?
    • Are there sections that look too generic or “AI-ish”?

Check the sources:
Pick one paragraph from the report. Ask the chat:
“Show the exact quotes and page numbers that support this paragraph.”
Compare answer vs. document. Mark any mismatch.

Step 4 – Audio Overview (podcast-style summary)

Audio Overviews turn your notebook into a short, conversational explanation you can listen to.

  1. In the Notebook Guide / Studio area, look for Audio Overview.
  2. Choose:
    • 1–3 sources (keep it small at first),
    • A target duration if available (e.g., 5–10 minutes),
    • A style, if offered (formal, conversational, etc.).
  3. Generate the overview and listen for a few minutes:
    • Does it capture the core ideas?
    • Are the hosts oversimplifying anything important?
    • Would you trust this to explain your project to a busy colleague?

Variation:
Ask NotebookLM: “Regenerate this Audio Overview for a non-expert audience (e.g., high-school student or new team member).” Compare what changes.

Step 5 – Flashcards & Quizzes

Now we switch to active recall tools.

  1. Open the Flashcards / Quiz section (this may be under “Study” or “Notebook Guide” depending on the UI).
  2. Choose:
    • The topic (e.g., “key terms from Document 1”),
    • The difficulty (easy, medium, hard),
    • The number of cards/questions (start with 5–10).
  3. Generate flashcards:
    • Test yourself: can you answer before flipping the card?
    • Edit any card that feels vague or misleading.
  4. Generate a quiz:
    • Multiple choice or short-answer questions based on your sources.
    • After each question, show the explanation and source citation.

Goal:
Don’t just memorize the AI’s answer. Use the flashcards/quiz to identify which parts of the original documents you still don’t understand.

Step 6 – Build your own workflow

Take 5–10 minutes to design a repeatable workflow you could actually use after this workshop. For example:

  • Thesis / dissertation mode
    • One notebook per chapter.
    • Sources: key articles + your own draft.
    • Tools: Reports (for argument structure), Study Guides (for exams), Audio Overview (for long walks).
  • Teaching / course prep mode
    • One notebook per course or module.
    • Sources: readings, slide decks, assignment briefs.
    • Tools: Reports (lecture outlines), FAQs (student Q&A), Slide Decks (draft lecture slides).
  • Survey / feedback analysis mode
    • One notebook per survey/project.
    • Sources: export of free-text responses.
    • Tools: Reports (themes), Tables (example quotes), Flashcards (practice discussing findings).

Write your workflow down somewhere you’ll actually see it again.

Reflection (write briefly)

  • What did NotebookLM do best for this topic?
  • Which feature (Report, Audio, Flashcards, Quiz, Audio Overview) helped you most, and why?
  • List one claim you verified in the source and how you verified it.
  • How might you adapt this notebook for your real work or studies next week?

Ready for next step?

Next, we’ll go deeper into summarizing text, audio, and video with more control over audience, tone, and length.

NEXT STEP: Text / Audio / Video Summarization