Most AI chatbots answer from everything they’ve ever read, which is why they sometimes make things up. Gemini Notebook works differently. You give it your own sources, such as lecture slides, PDFs, reading lists, YouTube lectures or your notes, and it answers from those, with citations that take you straight to the passage it used. That makes it one of the most useful AI tools for students.
Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026. It’s the same tool, still free to start with a Google account, and your old notebooks and links still work. This guide shows you how to set up a notebook for one module or topic, turn it into audio you can listen to, study guides and mind maps, and use it to test yourself. Allow about 30 minutes for the first notebook.
Quick answer: Create a notebook for one module, upload your lecture slides, readings and notes, and ask questions that it answers only from your sources, with citations. Use the Studio panel to generate an Audio Overview to listen to, a study guide, a mind map or a quiz. Always click the citations to check answers against the original, and use the notebook to understand and test yourself, not to write your assignments.
New to AI? Start with our beginner’s guide.
What you’ll need
- A Google account (school or university accounts often have access too)
- Your sources for one module or topic: slides, PDFs, notes, Google Docs, web pages or YouTube lectures
- Your course’s rules on using AI tools
- About 30 minutes for setup, then 15 to 20 minutes per study session
Step-by-step: study with Gemini Notebook
- Create one notebook per module or topic. Go to Gemini Notebook, create a new notebook and give it a clear name, such as “Biology: cell structure”. Smaller, focused notebooks give better answers than one huge one.
- Add your sources. Upload lecture slides, readings, your own notes and any web pages or YouTube lectures from your reading list. Only add material you’re allowed to use, and remember the notebook only knows what you give it.
- Get an overview. Ask for a summary of the key ideas and how they connect (prompt 1). Click the numbered citations to see where each point comes from.
- Listen with an Audio Overview. In the Studio panel, choose Audio Overview. You can pick a format, such as a Deep Dive conversation or a short Brief, set the length and add instructions, for example to focus on the topics in your exam (prompt 2). It’s ideal for the bus or a walk, but it can contain mistakes, so treat it as a starting point.
- Make study materials. Generate a study guide, a mind map or a briefing from the Studio panel, or ask in chat for a glossary of key terms.
- Test yourself. Ask the notebook to quiz you from your sources, one question at a time, and to explain any you get wrong with a citation (prompt 3).
- Find your gaps. Ask what the sources say about likely exam questions, and where your own notes are thin compared with the readings (prompt 4). Then go back to the original material.
Copy-paste prompts
1. Overview of my sources
Using only my sources, explain the 5 most important ideas in this topic in plain English, as if to a first-year student. For each one, give a one-sentence definition, an example from the sources and how it connects to the others. Cite the source for every point.
2. Audio Overview instructions
Focus on [TOPICS ON MY SYLLABUS OR EXAM]. Explain the concepts for a [LEVEL, SUCH AS A-LEVEL OR SECOND-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE] student, define key terms when they first come up, and finish with the 3 points I'm most likely to be tested on.
3. Quiz me from my sources
Quiz me on [TOPIC] using only my sources. Ask 10 questions, one at a time, mixing short-answer and explain-why questions, starting easy and getting harder. Wait for my answer each time, then tell me if I'm right, give the correct answer with a citation and a tip for remembering it.
4. Find gaps in my notes
Compare my lecture notes ([NAME OF NOTES SOURCE]) with the other sources. List the important points, definitions or examples that are in the readings or slides but missing or unclear in my notes, in order of importance, with citations.
Recommended tools
- Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM): answers from your own sources with citations, and creates Audio Overviews, study guides and mind maps.
- Gemini: your notebooks can also be used inside the Gemini app, which is handy for general questions alongside your sources.
- ChatGPT: Projects let you keep files and chats for a module together, and voice mode is good for talking a topic through.
- Claude: Projects work in a similar way and are strong at explaining long readings clearly.
For turning your notebook into active recall practice, see how to make flashcards from your notes with AI and our wider guide to revising for exams with AI. If your sources are journal articles, read how to summarise research papers with AI, and for a single tricky reading, how to understand a difficult textbook chapter.
Tips and mistakes to avoid
- Check the citations. Answers are grounded in your sources, but the AI can still misread or oversimplify. Click through for anything important.
- Keep notebooks focused. One module or topic per notebook gives sharper answers.
- Don’t swap reading for listening. Audio Overviews are a great way in, but they’re not a substitute for the actual material.
- Follow your course’s AI rules. Use the notebook to understand and revise, not to write work you hand in.
- Mind copyright and privacy. Don’t upload other people’s personal data, and only share notebooks with materials you’re allowed to share.
- Mix it with active recall. Listening feels productive; testing yourself is what makes things stick.
FAQ
Is NotebookLM the same as Gemini Notebook?
Yes. Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook in July 2026. It’s the same standalone tool, and existing notebooks and shared links still work.
Is Gemini Notebook free?
You can start free with a Google account. Paid Google AI plans add higher limits and extra features.
Can it make things up?
It’s much less likely to than a general chatbot because it answers from your sources, but it can still make mistakes, especially in Audio Overviews. Always check citations.
Can I use it for coursework?
Using it to understand material and revise is usually fine, but check your school’s or university’s policy. Submitting AI-written work as your own usually isn’t allowed.
Try it yourself with Gemini Notebook
Using only my sources, explain the 5 most important ideas in this topic in plain English, as if to a first-year student. For each one, give a one-sentence definition, an example from the sources and how it connects to the others. Cite the source for every point.
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