A source-grounded notebook is a digest tied to the sources you upload: videos, PDFs, articles, notes. A useful answer does not just sound convincing; it points back to the exact source with a quote.
Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM, is a useful reference for this kind of tool. The free tier is enough for this page: you need a notebook that can read your sources and show where each point came from.
If you do not have a separate notebook tool, the prompts also work in a regular chat with attached files. The discipline is the same: ask for a quote behind every conclusion, otherwise it is an unchecked retelling.
Three source packs
🎬A playlist instead of an evening of watching
A playlist of talks or tutorials has piled up. Watching it all takes an evening; dropping it feels like a waste.
sources: Links to the videos or the whole playlist. In the notebook: "Add source" → "YouTube" — one link per video. The notebook reads subtitles, not the video itself: a video without subtitles stays an empty source.
1Collect the video links and add each one as a source in a fresh notebook.
2Ask "Where do these videos disagree with each other?" — disagreements are more useful than a summary.
3Take "Comparison table" and "Questions with citations" from the prompt kit.
4Run the verification checklist on two or three answers before trusting the digest.
📚Going deeper on unit materials
A course unit points to external primary sources, and there is no time to read them in full.
sources: Links from the unit "Materials" section: articles, documentation, example catalogs. PDFs can be uploaded as files.
1Put two or three of the unit’s primary sources in the notebook — not retellings of them.
2Ask: "What here contradicts the way this is usually retold?"
3Generate a digest with citations and spot-check a couple of them by clicking into the source.
🗂️Your own documents, questionable
A folder of your own PDFs, notes, or exports that nobody can navigate anymore.
sources: Your own files: PDFs, text, spreadsheets. Personal data stays your call — the notebook only sees what you yourself upload.
1Pick 5–10 documents on one topic and upload them as sources.
2Ask the question you opened the folder for — in your own words, no "proper" phrasing.
3Demand a citation for every conclusion; a conclusion without one is a fabrication candidate.
Prompt kit
Comparison table
Compare how the sources answer [your question] in a table: one row per source, columns — position, argument, quote. The "quote" column must hold a verbatim phrase from the source, not a retelling.
Questions with citations
Answer [your question] using the uploaded sources only. Attach a source quote to every claim. If the sources do not contain the answer, say so directly — do not answer from general knowledge.
Focused audio overview
Create a short audio overview focused on [the topic you find hard]. Have the hosts name which source each point comes from and give a quote — skip any point without a source.
Mind map
Build a mind map linking [topic A] and [topic B] from the sources. For every link, name the source and the quote the link rests on.
Slides from sources
Assemble slides on [topic] strictly from the uploaded sources. Every slide carries a footnote: source and quote. Remove any slide without one.
Verification checklist
Click two or three citations: they must land on the exact spot in the source where the phrase actually appears.
A confident answer with no citation at all is a retelling. Re-ask and demand citations.
Check numbers and percentages against the source separately: that is where retellings drift most.
Ask about something you know is not in the sources. The honest reply is "the sources do not cover this," not an answer from memory.
Do not pass off a single-source conclusion as consensus — check who else actually claims it.
A video without subtitles is an empty source: the notebook "read" its general knowledge, not the video.