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Protocols are a dedicated artifact type in Bower for documenting step-by-step lab procedures. They use the same rich text editor as notes, but are stored and displayed separately — giving you a clean library of your standard operating procedures.

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What a protocol is

A protocol is a detailed, operational guide that your lab uses to perform a method. Think: “How we run PCR in this lab” rather than the high-level published method itself. Protocols sit in their own library alongside your notes. They can be tagged, linked to notes, and searched like any other artifact.

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Creating a protocol

  1. Go to the Protocol Library page.
  2. Click Create or use the import button to upload an existing document.
  3. Write your protocol using the rich text editor — headings, numbered steps, tables, and images all work.
  4. Give it a clear title.

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The protocol library

The protocol library is a dedicated page listing all protocols in your workspace. It shows:
  • Title
  • Tags
  • Parent collection
  • Created by
  • Created date
You can search, filter, and perform bulk operations (select multiple protocols and delete).

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Importing protocols

Drag existing protocol documents (PDFs, Word docs) into the protocol library. Bower extracts the content and creates an editable protocol. The original file is preserved as an attachment.

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Linking protocols to notes

Protocols become more useful when linked to the notes they relate to. Use the link entity feature to connect a protocol to relevant notes, samples, or collections. This makes it easy to trace which protocol was followed for a given set of observations.