AI SOPs

An AI SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) takes material where the order of actions matters — a lab protocol, a set of clinical instructions, a how-to process — and rewrites it as a clean, numbered procedure anyone can follow. Scholarly reads your sources, pulls out every action that has to happen, and lays them out as short, imperative steps in the right order.

SOPs are built to reinforce understanding of the process — not a wall of prose you still have to translate into a workflow. The AI turns scattered instructions into one consistent, repeatable procedure that matches how your protocol actually works.

When to use a SOP

A SOP is the right tool when following the steps correctly is the point. Reach for it when you're:

• Documenting a lab or bench procedure so it runs the same way every time.
• Turning a clinical protocol or set of guidelines into clear, actionable steps.
• Writing up a how-to process or onboarding checklist someone else can follow.
• Turning dense, out-of-order instructions into a scannable numbered sequence.

If you instead want the order of dated events rather than a task, generate a Timeline. If you want a structured document to read and review, generate a Study Guide. Many students make a SOP and flashcards from the same source.

Creating a AI SOP

Open the SOP tile on your home page create grid, or pick it from the New menu. The create window lets you build a SOP from any of these starting points:

• Upload — Drag in PDFs, Word documents, or PowerPoints from your computer.
• Library — Pick a PDF or file you've already uploaded to Scholarly.
• Google Drive — Connect Google Drive and choose the exact files — Docs, Slides, PDFs, Word docs, or PowerPoints — without downloading and re-uploading. See Uploading Content.
• Link — Paste a website or PDF URL and the AI pulls in the content.
• Prompt — Skip files entirely and describe a procedure, like "SOP for Gram staining a bacterial sample." Great for review when you don't have a source on hand yet.

You can combine sources — for example, pick two protocols from your library and add a prompt to steer what to emphasize.

Customize before you generate

After choosing your sources, the customize step lets you shape the SOP:

• Theme — Pick the look of the finished PDF. Every SOP is professionally typeset, and you can choose from four themes:

• Language — Generate the SOP in your preferred language.
• AI model — Some models are reserved for paid plans and show a lock badge. See Choosing an AI Model.
• Custom instructions — A free-text field for specific directions, like "Add a materials list at the top" or "Call out every safety step and keep it printable."

Click Generate SOP and the work runs in the background — you can close the window and keep studying. You'll be notified when it's ready, and it appears under Background Tasks while it generates.

What you get

Your finished SOP is a professionally typeset, downloadable PDF that lands in your library like any other content item. Each step shows the action to take, in order, with any detail needed to do it right — laid out in the theme you picked. Open it and you can:

• Read and follow it in the PDF viewer, with chat alongside to ask follow-up questions about any step.
• Download it to keep or print.
• Share it with a link so classmates or teammates can view it.
• Turn it into more study material — from the SOP's follow-up actions you can spin up Flashcards, a quiz, a study guide, or a podcast from the same content, no re-uploading required.

Because the output is a real PDF in your library, everything you can do with an uploaded PDF you can do with your SOP. See the PDF guide for the full set of viewer and conversion options.

Tips

• Richer sources make fuller procedures. A full protocol produces a more detailed SOP than a single slide; a one-line prompt produces a broad overview.
• Say what to emphasize. Use custom instructions to call out safety steps, add a materials list, or group steps into stages when a flat list isn't enough.
• Pair it with active recall. A SOP shows you the steps; convert it into flashcards or a quiz and test yourself to actually lock the order in.
• Keep a procedure together. Group a task's SOP, study guide, and source PDFs in one folder so everything for that procedure is in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What can I make a SOP from?

Uploaded PDFs, Word docs, and PowerPoints; files already in your library; Google Drive files; a website or PDF link; or just a typed prompt. You can mix several sources in one SOP.

How long does it take?

Generation runs in the background and usually takes a few minutes. You don't need to wait on the screen — keep working and you'll be notified when it's ready.

Can I download or print my SOP?

Yes. Every SOP is a PDF you can download, print, or share with a link.

What kinds of procedures does it work for?

Anything with a repeatable set of steps — lab procedures, clinical protocols, how-to processes, and onboarding checklists. The AI orders the steps logically even when your source lists them out of sequence.

Is it free?

You can create SOPs on the free plan using your shared lifetime AI creation credits. Those free credits do not reset. Paid plans raise those limits and support longer source documents. Limits depend on your plan — see Plans and Limits.