As a researcher and writer, I’m constantly trying to find the best ways to look up topics and learn more about them. NotebookLM has been one of my favorite tools to utilize, mostly because you can decide what research goes into the tool. You get to pick sources, if you want, for the tool to pull information from. You can opt for all kinds of research, but you can also rely on Google Gemini and its LLM.

If you’re researching a topic for the first time and don’t know where to start, you can ask NotebookLM to find the sources for you. You can also go deep into a topic and produce a well-crafted report that summarizes the topic for you. These latest features, known as Deep Research and Fast Research, are features that continue to show how Google is taking its time in building out the best tool possible.

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Deep Research builds a report for you

You can dive right into that after you compile sources

When you open NotebookLM, you’ll be asked if you want NotebookLM to do some research for you or if you want to upload links to sources and videos yourself. If you go to the main page, you’ll see a main Chat area that is for uploading sources to start, and then, eventually, ask the tool to look at the sources that you have to find the answers to the questions you ask them. It’s like having a wise, sage-like person along for the ride.

On the left-hand side of the page, you can see a magnifying glass that says Search the web for new sources. Below that, you’ll see a pull-down menu for the Web and one that says Google Drive. This lets you search for topics on the Internet or your Google Drive. To the right of that, there are two options. Fast Research is meant to quickly gather some information about a topic that you might want to know. This is to land on some basic information and some broader sources to help you gain a better understanding of your topic.

But if you switch to Deep Research, you’re going to get so much more than that. Deep Research is designed to bring back analysis of the topic in a much fuller way, providing many sources for you to incorporate into your Notebook. With Fast Research, you’ll get a handful of sources you can use. But with Deep Research, you can easily get over 20. From there, you can decide which ones you want to actually use for your notebook.

The Deep Research Report is a complete analysis

You get what you wait for

If you choose Deep Research, you’ll see NotebookLM turn on and begin searching for sources. As with any of the good features in NotebookLM, like Mind Map, Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, or Flashcards, you’re going to have to wait for the tool to do its magic. You can still continue to do work while it’s doing so, and after a few minutes, NotebookLM spits out a Deep Research Report.

This shows up as the top source option in the left-hand menu. It will populate with other sources as well, giving you plenty of options to import into your notebook. The Deep Research Report is a comprehensive guide of all that NotebookLM could find in your query. You can just choose that as a source and upload it into Chat, and be able to search within it for specific answers.

What I like about Deep Research is that it not only gives you a lot of information as soon as the Deep Research Report is ready, but it also gives sources that are cited in the report and lets you go through them as much as you want.

You can check out the sources yourself with ease, in case you’re still not fully comfortable with a tool finding answers for you.

The Deep Research Report has a table of contents that you can click through and be brought to different sections of the report. This makes it easier for you to make your way through the info as you see fit. When you’re ready, you can import the report as well as other sources into the Chat function. This can then be used to create other features like Quizzes, slide decks, infographics, and more.

Fast Research delivers good work

It’s not as deep, but it’s still effective

I did a deep research request on the fall of the Berlin Wall. It gave me comprehensive information on many facets of the geopolitical moment. But I used Fast Research to learn more about Mikhail Gorbachev. Instead of waiting a few minutes for the program to find sources, it performed a quick scan and provided me with just a few sources, all of which varied in depth.

I then uploaded just a few sources from that into chat and asked a few questions regarding Gorbachev. The chat responded with good answers, but nothing that provided analysis. It was more straight-to-the-point facts about the man.

With Fast Research, you’re meant to quickly use it and import it to be able to use it immediately. It’s a shorter way to get much of the research that you’re seeking. Deep Research almost feels like it’s meant for scholars of any age. But Google and NotebookLM have already put you in charge by making you choose which sources are good enough for your queries.

More features in NotebookLM to admire

NotebookLM lets you choose what level of depth you want from your research. You can access the Deep Research Report if you opt for Deep Research, which provides a long analysis of your topic. You can also choose Fast Research, which gives you a quick response without getting too technical. Both features have their place, and NotebookLM makes it easy to use either.

OS

Android, iOS, Web-based app

Pricing model

Free

NotebookLM is an AI-powered research tool that lets you compile your own sources to pull answers from. You can also rely on Google Gemini to find sources for you.