IR Insights

Setting up your own notebook

NotebookLM is free and requires only a Google account. To get started:

1. Go to notebooklm.google.com and sign in with your Google account

2. Create a new notebook and give it a name

3. Upload your sources — NotebookLM accepts PDFs, Google Docs, Word documents, URLs, YouTube videos, audio files and more

4. Start querying via the chat panel

A basic notebook is useful from the moment you load your first source. However, without configuration, NotebookLM behaves as a general-purpose research assistant with no domain knowledge, no analytical framework, and no understanding of the specific context in which it is being used. For a topic as technically complex as enterprise bargaining in the Australian higher education sector, where responses need to use sector-specific terminology, standard institutional abbreviations, university network classifications, and a working understanding of how the Australian industrial relations framework applies in a higher education context, generic behaviour is not enough. 

The two configuration steps below are what transform a capable but undirected tool into something purpose-built for this context, and they represent the core methodological contribution of this project. 

Upload a dedicated instructions document as a source

The single most impactful improvement you can make to a NotebookLM notebook is to load a dedicated instructions document as one of your sources. This is not a standard or documented feature of NotebookLM — it is a methodological technique developed as part of this project, and it substantially transforms what the tool is capable of.

Rather than relying on the notebook to interpret queries in a general way, a well-constructed instructions document embeds a persistent operational framework directly into the notebook's source material. This can include:

• the role the notebook should perform and the audience it is serving

• a source hierarchy telling the notebook which documents to prioritise and how to resolve conflicts between them

• citation rules, for example requiring pinpoint legislative references rather than general summaries

• analytical frameworks, such as a checklist for assessing whether industrial action is protected or unprotected

• terminology definitions to ensure consistent language across responses

• sector-specific context, including institutional abbreviations, university network classifications, and jurisdiction groupings

• structured response rules for different query types, for example distinguishing between urgent crisis queries and longer-form research queries

The effect is significant as the notebook reasons within a defined framework, produces consistently structured outputs, and behaves more like a configured analytical tool than a general-purpose assistant.

An example instructions document from this project is available to download below. You are welcome to adapt it for your own topic area.

Naming your instructions document

How you name this document matters. NotebookLM lists sources alphabetically by default, and the instructions document should appear at the top of the source list to signal its priority to the notebook. A naming convention such as 000_INSTRUCTIONS or 000_NOTEBOOK_GUIDE ensures it sorts to the top and is treated as a foundational document rather than just another source.

Consistent naming also helps if you are managing multiple notebooks across different topic areas, making it easy to identify and update the instructions document as your needs evolve.

Configure your chat

This step is critical. Loading an instructions document without also configuring the chat instructions means NotebookLM may not give that document the weight or priority it deserves. The two work together, and both are needed to get the best results.

To configure your chat instructions, open your notebook and select Configure notebook from the settings menu. Under Define your conversational goal, style or role, select Custom. This opens a free-text field where you can provide standing instructions that apply to every conversation in the notebook.

The most important thing to include here is an explicit reference to your instructions document by name. For example:

"This notebook includes a document named 000_INSTRUCTIONS. Treat this as your primary operational framework and apply its guidance to every response."

Without this, NotebookLM may treat your instructions document as just another source rather than as a governing framework. Naming it explicitly in the chat instructions creates a direct link between the two configuration layers and ensures the notebook applies your framework consistently.

Beyond pointing to the instructions document, you can also use the custom chat instructions to:

• define the analytical lens you want applied, for example "actively identify patterns and outliers across sources"

• specify a response format, such as requesting tables for comparative questions

• set a tone appropriate to your audience, for example formal and practitioner-focused

• add any domain classifications the notebook should use, such as institution groupings or geographic categories

Think of the instructions document as the detailed operational manual, and the custom chat instructions as the directive that tells the notebook to use it.

An example of the custom chat instructions used in this project is available to download below. You are welcome to adapt it for your own purposes.