Learning Timeline
Key Insights
Source Quality Tips (Grounded AI)
Always review the web links found by the AI before importing them. Manually selecting 'clean' and relevant sources ensures the AI-generated answers in NotebookLM are more accurate and fact-based (grounded).
Source Capacity Limits
If you are using a paid account, you can add up to 300 sources per notebook. Free accounts have lower limits, so be selective about the files you import.
Deep Research vs Fast Research
Use 'Fast Research' for quick web access. Use 'Deep Research' if you need the AI to dig deeper for more thorough information, even if it takes up to 20 minutes.
Step by Step
How to Run Deep Research and Integrate Sources
- Open NotebookLM and create a new notebook or select an existing one.
- Click the 'Add source' button located in the left sidebar.
- Select the 'Deep Research' icon (or 'Fast Research' for a quick web search) from the source options menu.
- Enter the specific topic or subject you want to research into the provided search field.
- Wait for the AI to process the information; Deep Research may take 10 to 20 minutes to gather comprehensive data.
- Review the list of websites and sources found by the AI in the search results window.
- Click on individual website links if you want to verify the credibility of the information before importing it.
- Check the boxes for the selected sources that you find high-quality and relevant.
- Click the 'Import' button to add those web sources to your notebook's source list.
- Click 'Add source' again and select 'Google Drive'.
- Select personal files or documents from your Google Drive to combine them with your Deep Research results.
- Ensure all sources (web and personal files) appear in the left panel to begin interacting with the AI.
