AI Document
AI Document turns your sources into a polished PDF or a real, downloadable file. Describe what you want and it picks the shape to match, or start from a specific type such as a report, timeline, SOP, spreadsheet, CSV table, JSON export, Markdown document, or calendar file.
AI Spreadsheets now live inside this same creator as one of its file types. If you only ever want spreadsheets, see AI Spreadsheets for a spreadsheet-focused walkthrough, everything below applies to spreadsheets too.
Creating a File
Open AI Document from the home page or the Create menu.
1. Add your sources
The create modal supports the same source types as Scholarly's other AI tools:
- Upload Files: PDFs, Word docs, PowerPoints, spreadsheets, and text files.
- Prompt AI: describe what you want (no file required).
- Library: pick files you've already uploaded.
- Google Drive: connect your Drive and pick a Google Doc, Sheet, Slides deck, PDF, or Word doc directly. See Connections.
You can also paste a website, PDF, or file URL directly. For PDFs, you can pick specific page ranges so the file is built only from the chapter or pages you care about. You can pull from 1 source on Free, up to 10 on Premium, or 20 on Laureate at once.
2. Choose what to build
After adding sources, choose the format that matches your goal. Document options include:
| Type | What it produces |
|---|---|
| Anything | Describe the document in your own words and it gets built to fit. The default starting point. |
| Report | Executive summary, findings, and recommendations. |
| Timeline | A dated sequence of events and turning points. |
| SOP | A numbered procedure a team can follow. |
| Flowchart | A directed chart with real decision branches. |
| Case Study | Background, problem, outcome, and takeaways. |
| Cheat Sheet | A dense one-pager for fast reference. |
| Outline | A clean hierarchy to draft or study from. |
| Lesson Plan | Objectives, timing, activities, and assessment. |
| Rubric | A criteria-by-level grid you can grade or assess with. |
| Study Schedule | A study plan built around the dates, topics, and requirements in your syllabus. |
Mind maps, worksheets, infographics, and spreadsheets are document types too: they are built the same way, from the same sources, with their own customise step. Each has its own guide: Mind Maps, Worksheets, Infographics, and AI Spreadsheets.
The shapes people reach for most, PDF Document, Any File, Report, SOP, Worksheet, Cheat Sheet, and Lesson Plan: also appear as chips under Home’s Document prompt, so you can pick the format before the creator opens. Spreadsheet keeps its own entry in the New menu. It is the same creator either way.
Downloadable file options include:
- Any File: describe a downloadable file and the AI picks the format to match.
- Word Doc: a native
.docxwith editable headings, paragraphs, tables, and lists. - Spreadsheet: a real, editable workbook with sheets and formulas. See AI Spreadsheets for workbook styles and details.
- CSV Table: one flat table you can import anywhere.
- JSON Export: structured data another tool can read.
- Markdown Doc: a written document with real sections.
- Calendar: dated events you can import into a calendar app.
If you choose Any File, your prompt and custom instructions decide the shape and format of the file.
3. Customise and generate
Before generating, you can set:
- Custom instructions: free text to steer the file. For a CSV or spreadsheet, name the columns you want. For a calendar file, describe which dates matter.
- Language: generate the file in any of the languages Scholarly supports.
- AI model: paid users can swap models. See Choosing an AI Model.
- Page selection: for PDFs, pick exactly which pages the file is built from.
Then select Generate File (or Generate Spreadsheet when the Spreadsheet tile is selected) to start building.
Source-Grounded by Default
The AI is instructed to use your selected sources and identify missing information instead of inventing facts. Review dates, figures, formulas, and citations before using the file. For a Calendar or Study Schedule, supply the actual dates and timezone you want; do not rely on the model to infer deadlines.
What You Get
Each finished file is a real, downloadable file saved to your library, not a block of text pasted into chat. Depending on the format:
- A Word Doc opens as an editable
.docx, suitable for Word or Google Docs. - A CSV Table or JSON Export downloads and opens in any spreadsheet or code tool.
- A Markdown Doc opens with real heading structure, ready to read or drop into another editor.
- A Calendar file (
.ics) imports directly into Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar. - A Spreadsheet opens in Scholarly's in-app spreadsheet viewer, where you can download, share, or edit it inline. See AI Spreadsheets.
Editable exports
Generated document PDFs offer the supported editable formats listed in their Export menu. Native files such as Word, spreadsheets, CSV, and calendars keep their own file format. From the Export menu you can take it as a Word (.docx) document or a PowerPoint (.pptx) deck, or save it to Google Drive as a Google Doc or Google Slides when your Drive is connected.
Editable exports need a paid plan, and an export creates a separate copy, editing the Word or Drive version doesn't change the Scholarly original, and your original's sharing settings are untouched. Downloads and printing need a paid plan too. On Free, choosing download or print offers a view link to share and your plan options instead. View-link sharing stays free on every plan. See Exporting Your Work for the format-by-format table.
Tips
- If you already know exactly what you want, pick the matching tile, CSV, JSON, Markdown, or Calendar, instead of describing the format in your prompt.
- If you're not sure what shape the file should take, choose Any File and describe the outcome you want. The AI decides the format.
- An AI Document file pairs well with a Study Guide, the guide explains the concepts, while the document keeps the facts organised or portable.
Limits
Files built with AI Document count towards your shared AI Creation Credit allowance, the same pool as flashcards, podcasts, video lectures, slides, and other AI tools. See Plans and Limits.
Related
- AI Spreadsheets, the spreadsheet file type, in depth.
- Library Files, every generated file is saved as a real, editable file in your library.
- Exporting Your Work, Word, PowerPoint, and Google exports for every document type here.
- Connections, pull a Google Sheet or Google Doc directly into the create modal.
- Choosing an AI Model, which model drafts your document, and what it costs.