Create Dovetail topics from research structure
Turn a research document's new structure into a topic your team can explore.
Trigger
Document Structure Changed
Triggers when a Google Doc's structure changes (headers/footers added/removed, tables/images count changes). This trigger monitors a specific document for structural changes like: - Headers added or removed - Footers added or removed - Tables added or removed - Images (inline objects) added or removed - Positioned objects added or removed - Footnotes added or removed
Action
Create Topic
Tool to create a new topic in a channel. use after confirming channel id, title, and optional description.
Why this helps
New sections and tables signal emerging themes, but topic organization often happens much later.
- Catches emerging themes early
- Creates a shared place for follow-up evidence
- Reduces manual taxonomy work
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Google Docs and Dovetail in Notis.
- 2Create an automation named Emerging topic organizer.
- 3Tell Notis to review the structural change, infer the supported research theme, and create a Dovetail topic with a concise description.
- 4Choose Document Structure Changed as the trigger and select a report channel.
- 5Test it after adding one meaningful section or table.
Questions about this workflow
Will it create a topic for every formatting change?
Tell Notis to act only when the new structure represents a distinct research theme.
What if the destination channel is unclear?
Ask Notis to report the proposed topic and request a channel decision instead of guessing.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Google Docs to Dovetail. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Google Docs triggers
Dovetail actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Create Channel
Tool to create a new channel in dovetail. use after confirming channel details.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Create Contact
Tool to create a new contact in dovetail. use when you need to register a contact before logging interactions.
New Document Created
Triggers when a new Google Doc is created. This trigger monitors Google Docs and fires when new documents are detected. Uses timestamp filtering to efficiently poll for new documents.
Create Data Point
Tool to create a data point within a channel. use after capturing new content to record and classify it in dovetail.
Document Deleted
Triggers when an existing Google Doc is deleted (moved to trash). This trigger monitors Google Docs and fires when documents are trashed.
Create Insight
Tool to create a new insight in dovetail. use after synthesizing findings when ready to store them. example: "create insight 'q1 user trends' with body '...' for project 'proj 123'."
Document Placeholder Filled
Triggers when a Google Doc's plain text changes such that a configured placeholder token/pattern is no longer present (i.e., the document has been filled in). This trigger monitors a specific Google Doc and fires when a placeholder pattern that was previously present is no longer found in the document's plain text.
Create Topic
Tool to create a new topic in a channel. use after confirming channel id, title, and optional description.
Document Search Update
Triggers when a Google Doc matching a user-defined search query is newly created or updated since the last poll. This trigger uses timestamp filtering to efficiently monitor documents.
Delete Channel
Tool to delete an existing channel. use when you need to remove a channel and move it to the project's trash (restorable for 30 days). confirm the channel id before calling.
Document Structure Changed
Triggers when a Google Doc's structure changes (headers/footers added/removed, tables/images count changes). This trigger monitors a specific document for structural changes like: - Headers added or removed - Footers added or removed - Tables added or removed - Images (inline objects) added or removed - Positioned objects added or removed - Footnotes added or removed
Delete Topic
Tool to delete an existing topic. use when you have confirmed the topic id and want to move it to trash (restorable for 30 days). example: "delete topic with id 123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000."
Document Updated
Triggers when an existing Google Doc is updated or modified. This trigger monitors Google Docs and fires when documents are updated.
Get Note
Tool to retrieve details of a specific note. use when you have confirmed the note id and need full note metadata from dovetail.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Google Docs and Dovetail, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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