How to Create an FAQ in Gemini Notebook and Check Its Sources

An FAQ is useful when readers need quick answers from a longer notice or set of instructions. The important finishing step is checking that every answer says what the source actually supports.

This walkthrough uses Chat in Gemini Notebook on a computer and ends with a checked FAQ. Use a Google account that has access to the service, and upload only material you are allowed to use.

1. Prepare two reference documents

For practice, use the fictional workshop documents below. They are complete inputs for the exercise; they do not describe a real event.

Select Save file on each block to download workshop-schedule.txt and workshop-preparation.txt. Keep these originals so you can compare them with the draft.

Schedule and registration

Community Repair Workshop
Schedule and registration

This workshop is for adults learning basic clothing repairs.

Date: November 14.
Session: 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.
Check-in opens at 9:45 AM.
Location: Room B108, Central Library.

Register at the library front desk by 5:00 PM on November 12.
Capacity: 20 places.
A place must be reserved in advance.
No walk-in registration is available.

Preparation and equipment

Community Repair Workshop
Preparation and equipment

Bring one clean clothing item, a notebook, and a pen.

If you have no clothing item, you can still attend and use the practice fabric provided.

Sewing tools and practice fabric are provided during the session.
Powered equipment cannot be used.

Please keep your belongings with you.

For your own FAQ, choose the current approved documents and give each a clear title. If two documents disagree about a deadline or requirement, resolve that disagreement before presenting a final answer.

2. Create a notebook and add the files

1. Open Gemini Notebook in a computer browser.
2. Select Create new notebook.
3. Select Upload a source and choose the two downloaded text files. To add another source afterward, use Add sources in the left panel.
4. Open each imported source and confirm that its contents match the original file, including the last line.
5. In the Sources panel, select both workshop files for this task. Leave unrelated material unselected.

Google documents notebook creation and supported text files and source selection. Confirm the visible source titles before using the prompt below; adjust its filenames if your titles differ.

For this practice, you should have two selected sources: one covering the schedule and registration, and one covering preparation and equipment.

3. Ask Chat for a specific FAQ

Paste the following into the Chat panel and send it. The prompt names the sources, sets the reader's task, and includes a question whose answer is deliberately absent.

Use Copy or save faq-request.txt for reuse. Replace the file titles and questions when adapting it to your own documents.

Create a short FAQ for someone attending the Community Repair Workshop.

Use only these selected sources:
- workshop-schedule.txt
- workshop-preparation.txt

Answer the six questions below. Preserve deadlines, times, numbers, requirements, and exceptions.

After each supported answer, name the source file and include a citation when available. Do not invent citation numbers.

If the sources do not answer a question, write:
"Not stated in the provided sources."

If the sources conflict, identify the conflict instead of choosing an answer.

Questions:
1. When and where is the workshop? Include the check-in time.
2. How do I register, and what is the capacity?
3. What should I bring?
4. Can I attend without a clothing item?
5. Are tools provided, and can I use powered equipment?
6. Is parking available?

Google's chat instructions support asking questions and giving instructions about selected sources. Treat the answer as a draft until the next checks are complete.

4. Open the citations and check each answer

For a cited answer, hover over its citation to inspect the quoted text, then select the citation to review it in context. Google describes this citation-checking behavior.

Read the surrounding passage, including any exception. A source title typed into the answer is only a label; verify the actual supporting text.

Use this checklist for the practice FAQ:

Answer	What the originals must support
Date and location	November 14, 10:00–11:30 AM, Room B108 at Central Library; check-in at 9:45 AM.
Registration	Library front desk, by 5:00 PM on November 12; advance reservation, no walk-ins.
Capacity	20 places. This does not say how many places remain unbooked.
What to bring	A clean clothing item if available, a notebook, and a pen.
Exceptions and tools	Attendance without an item is allowed; tools and practice fabric are provided; powered equipment cannot be used.
Parking	Neither document provides parking information.

A draft fails the check if it moves registration to the event date, claims there are 20 places still available, makes a clothing item mandatory without the exception, or invents free parking.

If there are no individual citations

Google's FAQ notes that very short sources may be referenced as whole documents rather than individual passages. These practice files are short, so you may encounter that behavior.

Open the named source in Sources and compare the answer with the whole file. If you cannot find support, keep the answer marked as unknown or correct it from the original. Do not add made-up citation chips or numbers to make the draft look verified.

5. Compare with a complete finished example

The following is an editor-written reference, not a recorded Gemini Notebook response. Its Source lines are manual file labels, not live citation links. Your wording can differ while preserving the same facts and qualifications.

Use Copy or Save file for workshop-faq.txt if you want the complete reference beside your draft.

Community Repair Workshop FAQ

1. When and where is the workshop?
It is on November 14, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, in Room B108 at Central Library. Check-in opens at 9:45 AM.
Source: workshop-schedule.txt

2. How do I register, and what is the capacity?
Register at the library front desk by 5:00 PM on November 12. Reserve a place in advance; walk-in registration is unavailable. The capacity is 20 places.
Source: workshop-schedule.txt

3. What should I bring?
Bring a clean clothing item if you have one, a notebook, and a pen.
Source: workshop-preparation.txt

4. Can I attend without a clothing item?
Yes. You can attend and use the practice fabric provided.
Source: workshop-preparation.txt

5. Are tools provided, and can I use powered equipment?
Sewing tools and practice fabric are provided. Powered equipment cannot be used.
Source: workshop-preparation.txt

6. Is parking available?
Not stated in the provided sources.

The last answer is complete for this exercise: it identifies a genuine information gap. For a real event, get the missing information from the responsible organizer before replacing it with a factual answer.

6. Save the checked FAQ

Once the answers pass your source checks, select Save to note on the response. Google's chat help says saved responses retain their formatting and clickable inline citations.

If you copy the FAQ into another document, check the pasted text too. Confirm that all six questions remain present, the registration deadline is still November 12, and the clothing-item exception and unknown parking status are preserved.

For a real FAQ, keep a source reference beside each answer while editing. Review it again after changing the reference material.

If the draft is wrong or incomplete

• An answer cites the wrong passage: ask a narrower question that names the relevant source, then inspect the new answer. Correcting one field does not establish that the remaining answers are right.
• A question has no supported answer: leave it marked as unknown. Google's troubleshooting FAQ identifies missing source information as a reason a question may go unanswered.
• The source itself is unclear: check the original document. If your material began as a scan, our Google Drive text-extraction guide can help you prepare readable text before using it.
• Your work or school account cannot access the app: follow Google's access guidance and check with your administrator.

The FAQ is ready to reuse when every factual answer is supported, conditions remain intact, and unanswered questions are clearly identified.