In short. NotebookLM web research finds sources through Fast Research, Deep Research or chat and lets users choose material to import into a notebook.

Definition: NotebookLM web research finds web sources for a research notebook and lets the user choose which results to import. Fast Research returns sources for review; Deep Research produces a research report with sources that can also become notebook material.

As of 17 October 2026, Google's source research documentation describes these workflows under the name Gemini Notebook.

Key facts

Google's source documentation places Fast Research in the Sources panel, with Web and Drive search options.
Google's Deep Research announcement explains that the research runs in the background and that its report and sources can be added to a notebook.
Google's chat documentation lets users select which notebook sources the model uses to answer a question.

How does source search work?

Google's source search instructions begin with a query in the Sources panel. Choosing Web searches for supported web sources. Results show a title, a description of the source's relevance to the query, and a link to the full page.

The View control expands the results for review. Selecting or deselecting results determines which sources are imported. The page link allows inspection of the original material before it becomes part of the notebook.

What does Deep Research add?

Google's Deep Research announcement describes a workflow that creates a research plan, browses websites and refines its search as it proceeds. The resulting report and its sources can be imported together, while other sources can still be added during research.

The source research instructions specify these controls:

Web
Deep Research

The review shows the report alongside relevant sources, including material cited in the report and material without a citation. Results can be selected individually for import.

Google's research update also describes building a source collection directly in chat, using Google Search to find web material. It gives finding primary sources in other languages as an example and states that users retain control over additions.

What content can a website contribute?

Google's web URL import documentation says that an HTML page contributes its text. Images, embedded videos and nested pages are excluded from that import, and paywalled pages are unsupported. A PDF supplied through a URL is handled as a PDF source.

For a website review, the relevant check is therefore whether the imported source contains the text needed to understand the page's subject.

How can source use be checked?

Google's chat help describes citations that connect answers to source material. Hovering over a citation reveals the quoted text; selecting it opens the quotation in context. Source selection controls which notebook documents the model should use for a question.

The same help page describes research within chat, where the report and sources can be selected and imported into the notebook. This keeps source collection available during an ongoing conversation.

FAQ

Can you review results before importing them?

Yes. Google's source instructions provide a View control and let you select or deselect results before import, including results from Deep Research.

Can you check the passage behind an answer?

Yes. Google's chat instructions let you hover over a citation to read the quotation and select it to inspect its context.

Sources

Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer