Notes Stack for Journalists & Writers
Journalism is research-intensive, deadline-driven, and detail-obsessed. Notes Stack sits in your browser side panel so you can annotate sources, track story leads, and organize research — all without leaving the pages you're investigating.
Why Journalists Choose Notes Stack
Every story starts with research, and research happens in the browser. Notes Stack keeps your reporting notes attached to the exact sources you found them on.
- Source annotations — While reading a government report, press release, or news article, open the side panel and capture key quotes, data points, and your own analysis. The note stays linked to the source URL for easy citation.
- Story stacks for organization — Create a stack for each story you're working on. All related research, interviews, and fact-checks live in one place, organized by topic.
- Deadline reminders — Set reminders for filing deadlines, interview appointments, and follow-up calls. Browser notifications keep you on track.
- PIN-lock sensitive notes — Protect confidential source information, off-the-record quotes, and unpublished findings behind a PIN.
Tips and Tricks
Create a dedicated stack for each story or investigation. As you research across dozens of websites, every note drops into the right stack. When it's time to write, filter by stack to see all your research in one view.
Use a consistent format for source notes: Source name, Date accessed, Key quote, Reliability assessment. This makes fact-checking and attribution straightforward when you're writing on deadline.
After an initial conversation with a source, set a reminder to follow up in 48 hours. Notes Stack keeps the reminder attached to the context of your original research.
Use the domain filter to see only notes from .gov domains or specific news outlets. This quickly surfaces your official source material during fact-checking.
Before publishing, export your story stack to CSV. This creates an archive of every source, note, and timestamp — invaluable for responding to editorial questions or legal review.
Platforms That Work Great With Notes Stack
- Google News — Capture story angles and follow developing narratives with page-attached notes on news aggregation pages.
- AP News — Annotate wire stories with your own analysis, local angles, and follow-up ideas.
- Reuters — Track financial and political developments with contextual notes on each article.
- Google Docs — Keep research notes in the side panel while drafting your story in Docs.
- Google Scholar — Annotate academic papers and studies that support your reporting.
- PACER — Add notes to court documents and case filings as you build investigative timelines.
A Real-World Workflow
- Receive a tip — A source mentions a developing story. Open Notes Stack and create a note with the initial details, assigning it to a new "City Budget Investigation" stack.
- Deep research — Over the next few days, visit government websites, financial disclosures, and public records. On each page, capture relevant data in the side panel.
- Interview prep — Before calling a key source, open the side panel and review all your research notes. Create a task list of questions to ask.
- Fact-check — Go back to each source URL. Your original notes are still attached, making it easy to verify quotes and statistics.
- Write on deadline — With all research organized by stack, open Google Docs and reference your side panel notes as you draft.
- Archive everything — Export the stack to CSV as a permanent record of your sourcing and research trail.
Your research, your sources, your deadlines — all organized in the side panel where your journalism happens.
Ready to get started?
Add Notes Stack to your browser and start capturing ideas right from the side panel.
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