Writing Internal SOPs for Research Reagent Intake

A three-page intake SOP beats a fifty-page binder nobody opens. Cover receive → inspect → log → store → escalate. Link out to chemical hygiene details instead of duplicating them.

Assign a role owner (not only a name) so the process survives vacations and turnover.

Typical checks include package integrity, label readability, vial count, and lot-code capture. Photograph exceptions. Quarantine ambiguous material until resolved.

Never skip lot logging because “we’ll remember.” Memory is not an audit trail.

Define where sealed stock lives, who may open kits, and how open vials are marked. Access control matters when multiple projects share freezers.

Temperature monitoring and alarm response can be separate SOPs; the intake SOP should at least point to them.

List when to contact the supplier versus when to involve institutional safety. Supplier support is appropriate for missing COAs, wrong items, and shipping damage.

Include the storefront order code format in the SOP so new staff know what to send in the first message.