Learning Timeline
Key Insights
Hallucination Check via Citations
Always verify AI claims by clicking the small citation numbers (footnotes) attached to the responses. This highlights the exact passage in your original source document, ensuring the AI is not hallucinating information.
Audio Customization Formats
You are not limited to a standard summary. Use the 'Critique' setting for an expert review or 'Debate' to hear two hosts argue different sides of your source material.
Prompts
Audio Focus Prompt
Target:
NotebookLM Audio Overview Custom Instructions
Focus on only the technical details
Audience Level Prompt
Target:
NotebookLM Audio Overview Custom Instructions
Focus on only the high-level stuff
Step by Step
Importing Sources and Initial Analysis
- Open a new notebook within NotebookLM.
- Locate the 'Add sources' panel on the left side of the interface.
- Perform one of the following import actions: a. Paste a specific URL into the 'Website' field and click 'Insert'. b. Drag and drop PDF files, Google Slides, or text documents directly into the upload area. c. Select files from Google Drive.
- Wait for the AI to process and analyze the source material.
- Review the automatically generated summary presented in the main chat window.
- Examine the 'Suggested actions' or 'Follow-up questions' chips at the bottom of the screen to begin exploring the content.
Generating and Customizing an Audio Overview (Podcast)
- Navigate to the 'Audio Overview' section within the notebook dashboard.
- Click the 'Customize' button (represented by a pen/slider icon) to open configuration settings.
- Select the desired conversation format from the dropdown menu (e.g., 'Deep Dive' for lively conversation, 'Brief Podcast' for concise summaries, 'Critique', or 'Debate').
- Input specific instructions in the prompt box if needed (e.g., 'Focus only on technical details').
- Click the 'Generate' button.
- Wait for the audio processing to complete.
- Click the 'Play' button to listen to the generated conversation.
Generating an AI Explainer Video
- Locate the 'Video Overview' feature (usually adjacent to Audio Overview).
- Click the button to initiate video generation.
- Wait for the AI to synthesize images, narration, and structure.
- Click 'Play' on the media player to watch the fully illustrated explainer video.
Creating Interactive Mind Maps
- Locate the suggested actions area (often labeled 'Help me create...' or similar).
- Click the 'Mind Map' option.
- Wait for the visual graph to populate in the workspace.
- Hover over or click specific nodes (bubbles) in the mind map to view details.
- Click a node to trigger the AI to elaborate on that specific sub-topic in the chat window.
Generating Study Tools (Flashcards & Quizzes)
- Navigate to the suggested actions menu.
- Click 'Flashcards' to generate a study deck.
- Click on a card to flip it and reveal the answer.
- Use the arrow keys or on-screen navigation arrows to move to the next card.
- To switch to a quiz format, close the flashcards and select the 'Quiz' or 'Study Guide' option from the menu.
- Select an answer for the multiple-choice question presented.
- Click 'Next' to proceed to the following question after viewing the result.
