• Identify key insights from scholarly readings and explain their significance
• Use an AI tool effectively to synthesize, evaluate, and refine information
• Develop a well-structured annotated bibliography as preparation for a literature review

Preparation

1. Faculty should begin by familiarizing themselves with NotebookLM. Create an account and test its features using a range of academic sources to better understand its capabilities and limitations, and to anticipate potential issues. This preparation will help you guide students more effectively.
2. Consider providing a clear, step-by-step walkthrough or brief demo that introduces students to the tool’s core features and basic troubleshooting tips so they can use it confidently and efficiently. 
3. Be prepared to adjust the assignment guidelines based on student feedback or tool performance. While this activity is framed around building an annotated bibliography, it can be adapted to support related goals, such as weekly reading reflections, source comparison, or literature mapping. Instructors are encouraged to customize the assignment to align with course objectives and student needs, especially when aiming to scaffold critical reading and AI-assisted analysis.

Assignment Overview

• A concise overview of each source’s main ideas, arguments, and findings
• An evaluation of the sources’ reliability, strengths, weaknesses, and credibility
• An explanation of how the sources contribute to your understanding of your research topic

Assignment Steps

1. Prepare: Carefully review the sources you have collected. For each source, take notes on the following:
   1. What are the source’s main ideas? What are its secondary ideas?
   2. What are your initial observations? For example, how does this source relate to your other sources? Do its findings confirm or contradict existing arguments? What comments or questions do you have about the findings?
   3. How relevant are the findings to your research question?
2. Use AI: Use NotebookLM to draft preliminary summaries and notes for each source.
   1. Upload a source and ask NotebookLM to generate a summary or analysis. You may use these sample prompts:
      1.  “Summarize the key arguments and findings of this source in 2–3 sentences.”
      2. “Explain how this source contributes to my research on [insert topic].”
      3. “What are the strengths and limitations of this source in relation to [insert topic]?”
      4. “How does this source compare to others in relation to [insert topic]?”
   2. Repeat this process for each source in your bibliography.
3. Assess AI Output: Critically evaluate the AI-generated output for the following:
   1. Accuracy: Are the summaries true to the source material?
   2. Relevance: Do they highlight the most important ideas?
   3. Depth: Are key nuances, evidence, or details missing?
4. Write Your Own Annotations: Draft each annotation in your own words, using NotebookLM’s output and your critical evaluation of it as a guide. In your annotations:
   1. Add your own assessment of the source’s reliability, strengths, and weaknesses.
   2. Include a reflection on how the source contributes to your understanding of the topic. You may integrate or disregard NotebookLM’s responses depending on your understanding and research needs, but all final text must reflect your own analysis and voice.
   3. Your annotations should be about 150-200 words each and follow the APA 7th edition citation guidelines (or the discipline-specific citation guidelines recommended by your Instructor).
5. Review Your Work: Before submitting, review and revise your annotated bibliography:
   1. Ensure proper citation formatting according to the course’s discipline or your Instructor’s guidelines. 
   2. Check for plagiarism (do not copy AI-generated text directly).
   3. Make sure that your annotations are not just summaries but reflect your own critical analysis and connections to other sources and your research topic.
6. Reflect on Your AI Experience: On a new page at the end of your annotated bibliography, write an acknowledgment (200 words maximum) reflecting on how the AI tool influenced your research and learning process. Consider the following questions:
   1. What steps did you take to verify and confirm the AI-generated content?
   2. Were there important, thought-provoking, or helpful points in the readings that AI missed? Were there any hallucinations that AI generated? (You may wish to review “When AI Gets It Wrong: Addressing AI Hallucinations and Bias”)
   3. How did AI complement, enhance, or challenge your own critical thinking?