Research tools: Perplexity and NotebookLM
Listen to this lesson
Nigerian voice narration
Fictional training case. You must confirm a figure for a brief and study a 60-page policy document this week — two tasks where a chat assistant's confident-sounding guess could be wrong. This lesson introduces Perplexity for sourced facts and NotebookLM for grounded document answers. Work through the example, identify the evidence needed and practise the method with cleared or synthetic inputs. Any additional figures in the explanation are separate practice examples, not claimed rows in a downloadable file.
Worked example
Blessing needs to confirm a national statistic before it goes into a Director's brief. Instead of trusting ChatGPT's unsourced reply, she opens Perplexity, asks the same question, and gets an answer with numbered sources she clicks to verify against the original report. Separately, she uploads a cleared fictional 60-page policy PDF into NotebookLM and asks it to list the five main obligations it places on ministries, with page references for each — because NotebookLM grounds answers in the uploaded file, while still checking its cited passages for omissions and mistakes, which matters for a document she'll be quizzed on in a meeting.
The method
Use Perplexity whenever a fact or figure needs a verifiable source before it goes into official work. Use NotebookLM whenever you must study one specific document closely — its response still needs checking against the supplied sources. Both reduce hallucination risk compared to a general chat assistant answering from memory alone.
Worked practice and common mistakes
If the uploaded excerpt does not state a deadline, the answer should say “not stated,” not invent a Friday. A real citation also has to support the claim’s period and geography. Keep a claim–source–passage table and check each entry yourself. Source grounding does not grant permission to upload confidential files, so practise with the fictional course extracts.
Review before using the result
A source link is a place to verify a claim, not proof by itself. NotebookLM supports supplied-source work, but each passage and reference still needs checking. Missing evidence should be reported as missing. Confirm permission before uploading any non-fictional work document.
Your workplace practice
Use the recommended free assistant with this lesson's fictional example. Using only the uploaded document, list the 5 main obligations it places on ministries, with the page or section for each. Keep a copy of the input and draft. Compare the result with the verification steps above, record any correction, and retain placeholders where evidence is missing. The expected result is a checked draft for human review, not an automatically approved decision. Course examples and practice responses are fictional; amounts, dates, rules and thresholds are not official guidance or supplier quotations.
Using only the uploaded document, list the 5 main obligations it places on ministries, with the page or section for each.
All-round drafting, rewriting tone, brainstorming and step-by-step explanations.
Free: Free chat for drafting and explanations; message, upload and feature limits vary. Read the displayed notice when a limit is reached.
Paid: Paid plans generally raise allowances or add tools; current availability and pricing are on the official plan page.
Sign up: Go to chatgpt.com → Sign up → Continue with Google (or email) → verify your phone number if asked.
Free chat for drafts, explanations and source-checking. Direct integrations inside Google applications may require a different plan.
Free: Free chat with an eligible Google account. Uploads, search and other features depend on current limits and account availability.
Paid: Paid Google AI plans may add features and allowances; check the current plan, account eligibility and application requirements.
Sign up: Open gemini.google.com → sign in with your Gmail account → accept the terms. No new account needed.
Long documents, careful formal writing, policies and reports where tone and nuance matter.
Free: Free text assistance and supported uploads with changing limits. Follow the displayed usage notice; no fixed reset time is promised.
Paid: Paid plans generally offer higher allowances and additional capabilities; check the current official comparison.
Sign up: Go to claude.ai → Continue with Google or email → confirm the link sent to your inbox.
Excel formulas, Word and Outlook-style writing, and staff whose office already runs on Microsoft 365.
Free: Free chat where available; sign-in, uploads and feature allowances depend on current account and service requirements.
Paid: Embedded Office features have separate application, account and licensing requirements; check the current plan comparison.
Sign up: Visit copilot.microsoft.com → Sign in with an Outlook/Hotmail account (or create one free).
Source-oriented search for research and fact-checking; open the cited passages and verify the actual claim.
Free: Free search with changing limits on advanced features. Sources still require independent verification.
Paid: Paid plans generally raise allowances and add research features; current options and limits can change.
Sign up: Open perplexity.ai → Sign up with Google or email. You can also search without an account.
Studying cleared documents through source-grounded answers and references; check the response against the original passages.
Free: Free access with an eligible Google account; notebook, source and audio feature limits can change.
Paid: Paid options may raise notebook, source and feature limits; check the current official comparison and eligibility.
Sign up: Go to notebooklm.google.com → sign in with Gmail → Create new notebook → upload a PDF or paste text.
Quick help inside WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram — great for short replies and broadcast drafts on the go.
Free: Free text assistance where available in Meta apps or on the official website. Account and regional availability vary.
Paid: No paid AI upgrade is required for this course exercise. Check the official service for current plans and features.
Sign up: In WhatsApp tap the blue-ring Meta AI icon on the Chats screen, or open meta.ai and log in with Facebook/Instagram.
Free limits and prices change often — check each tool's website for the latest.