How to Use Google’s AI NotebookLM for Study?

If you’re looking for a way to supercharge your study sessions, you need to check out this brilliant AI tool from Google NotebookLM. I recently posted a blog post for Convert PDFs/Notes into Podcasts using NotebookLM, own notes, and web links into NotebookLM.

With just a single click, I was able to turn it all into a podcast featuring two people talking.

Well, today, I’m going to show you step-by-step how you can do this yourself using NotebookLM and take full advantage of all the amazing features it offers.

Best of all, NotebookLM is completely free.

Accessing NotebookLM

The first thing you need is a Google account to access NotebookLM. It runs on Gemini Pro 1.5, and one of the best parts is that any information you upload will remain private.

None of it will be scraped or used to train Google’s models.

Once you’ve logged in with your Gmail account, just click on “Try NotebookLM,” and you’ll be brought right into the interface.

The user interface is clean and easy to navigate. You’ll even find some sample notebooks to try out when you first get started.

But today, I’ll show you how to upload your own files.

If you prefer working in light mode, you can easily toggle that setting in the preferences.

Also, there’s a helpful FAQ section and a Discord group you can join if you ever need support.

Creating a New Notebook and Adding Sources

Now, let’s create a new notebook. This is where you can add all of your sources. Start by uploading a document—simply select the file you want to upload.

For example, I uploaded a PDF for this demonstration. Once you’ve uploaded your first file, you’ll see it listed as a source.

You can always add more sources. To do this, click the plus (+) icon and drag in another document. You’ll notice that once multiple sources are uploaded, NotebookLM can start analyzing connections between them.

To demonstrate, I added a web link as my third source. You can easily paste a URL into the interface to upload a web page.

You can also add Google Docs or Google Slides. Simply click the appropriate option, select your file, and it will be inserted into your notebook.

In this example, I added PDFs, Google Docs, and Google Slides. If you’re coming back from a class, you can quickly upload your notes as well. Copy the text from your class notes, paste it into NotebookLM, and click Insert.

Organizing and Renaming Your Sources

After uploading your sources, it’s a good idea to rename them for better organization. You can easily do this by selecting the source and clicking Rename.

I renamed one of my sources as “Notes from class” to keep things clear. You can also remove any source if needed.

To keep your notebook organized, I suggest renaming the notebook itself as well. In this case, I named mine AI Info.

Now, instead of a bunch of “Untitled” sources, I can clearly see each document in my notebook.

Exploring Key Features in NotebookLM

Finding Key Topics in Your Sources

Once your sources are uploaded, you can dive into them. Let’s start by clicking on one of the PDFs.

NotebookLM generates a summary of the document and even highlights key topics.

These key topics are clickable, and when you select one (like “student engagement”), NotebookLM will pull all relevant information on that topic from your uploaded files.

Another great feature is that everything is cited. For example, if NotebookLM pulls a quote or piece of information about student engagement, it shows you exactly where it got that information.

You can click on the citation, and it will take you directly to that point in the document.

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Asking Questions About Your Sources

You can also ask NotebookLM questions about your sources. Simply type a question into the chat. For example, I asked, “How do AI tools impact student engagement in higher education?” NotebookLM then searched through all my sources and provided a detailed answer based on the checked documents.

If you come across any information you’d like to save for later, you can easily save it as a note.

Just click Save as note, and it will be added to your notebook.

You can also copy the text directly from NotebookLM if you need to use it elsewhere.

Generating FAQs, Study Guides, and More

NotebookLM offers several unique tools to make your study sessions more efficient. By selecting specific documents, you can generate a variety of useful study aids, including:

• FAQs
• Study guides
• Tables of contents
• Timelines
• Briefing documents

Let’s say I wanted to create a study guide based on two PDFs I uploaded.

After selecting the documents, I simply click on the Study Guide option, and NotebookLM generates a detailed study guide complete with:

• Questions and answers
• Essay possibilities

If you scroll through the guide, you’ll see well-organized content broken down by question type and the related answer key.

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Writing Assistance with NotebookLM

Generating Writing Ideas

NotebookLM is also great for helping you write. If you’re struggling to come up with an introduction paragraph, simply ask the AI for ideas.

Based on the sources you’ve uploaded, NotebookLM can provide a variety of example writing ideas.

Each suggestion is cited with the source it pulled from, so you can easily verify the accuracy of the content.

Creating Podcasts from Your Notes

Now, here’s one of my favorite features: creating a podcast out of your notes. You can take all the sources in your notebook, click Generate, and within minutes, NotebookLM will produce an audio podcast based on the documents you’ve uploaded.

Once the podcast is ready, you can download it as an MP3. This is perfect for studying on the go—whether you’re driving, walking, or just relaxing, you can listen to the AI-generated podcast to review your notes.

You can also adjust the playback speed or delete the podcast if you need to redo it.

There’s even an option to share your notebook, so if you want to collaborate with classmates or colleagues, you can easily send them the files.

Just be sure not to share any personal information if you don’t want others to see it.

Conclusion

I hope this guide has helped you understand how to use NotebookLM. Personally, it’s one of my favorite AI tools, especially when it comes to organizing research and making connections between different articles.

With NotebookLM, you can streamline your study sessions, generate custom content, and even create podcasts from your notes. It’s fast, easy to use, and offers a powerful way to manage your research.