Use uploaded files to write a source-checked lit review

A doctoral writer used NotebookLM to assemble dissertation review sections from uploaded readings while keeping citations tied to the files they provided.

Done with Custom agent· Intermediate· Aug 2026

What they did
The writer had first seen ChatGPT produce citations that were not real, so they moved the work to NotebookLM and limited it to the papers they uploaded. They renamed the documents before adding them and set one standing instruction for citation formatting, which turned NotebookLM’s plain numbered references into author-year citations. They then ran the project through a broader routine: checking which sources to trust, grouping them, pulling out shared ideas, and auditing each citation by hand before export.
How it went
That setup reduced the amount of manual source checking and helped them build dissertation literature review sections without fabricated references. It still was not meant to do the substantive analysis, and they said earlier false citations had already cost them time and forced rewrites after they were roughly 60% through the dissertation.
Tips
Treat the agent as a drafting and organizing layer, not a substitute for your own reading and interpretation. Keep a final human pass on every citation, especially if a bad reference has already set you back once.

Try it yourself with Claude

I’m working on a literature review for [topic] in [dissertation/paper]. I’ll upload [number] sources. Start by sorting the sources into themes and naming which files support each theme. Then write a [word count]-word draft that stays within those uploaded files and uses [citation style]. If a statement cannot be justified from the uploads, flag it instead of inventing support. Before any step that would finalize, send, or submit the work, stop and ask me to confirm the outline and source list. Finish with the main gaps in the literature and any uploaded sources you were unable to use.

Fill in the [brackets]. Agents can make mistakes, so review anything before it is sent, paid or deleted.

Read the original on reddit.com ↗

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