How to Build a Research Database in Notion with Klotion

Whether you are writing a thesis, conducting market research, or exploring a new topic, a well-structured research database can be transformative. This tutorial shows you how to build one with Notion and populate it effortlessly with Klotion.

Step 1: Design Your Database

Create a new database in Notion called "Research Hub". Add these properties:

Title (title)

Source URL (URL)

Source Type (select: article, paper, video, book, podcast)

Topic (multi-select)

Key Findings (text)

Credibility Score (number, 1-5)

Date Published (date)

Date Saved (date, default: now)

Related Sources (relation to self)

Step 2: Create Views

Set up these views for different perspectives:

All Sources — default table view

By Topic — board view grouped by Topic

Timeline — timeline view by Date Published

Best Sources — filtered view where Credibility Score >= 4

Step 3: Configure Klotion

Create a form called "Research" in Klotion. Map each database property and enable Auto-Extract. Set the form to show Topic and Key Findings prominently, since those require manual input.

Step 4: Build Your Workflow

When researching, keep your process simple:

Read the source material

Click the Klotion icon

Add topic tags and key findings

Rate the credibility

Save to Notion via Klotion

Over time, you will build a comprehensive, searchable knowledge base that connects related sources and surfaces the most valuable material.

Pro Tips

Use the highlight feature to save specific quotes as you read

Link related sources using the Relation property

Create a summary page in Notion that links to filtered views of your database