Two types of change note
When an edit is made to a web page in Whitehall Publisher, the system requires you to specify what kind of change is being made. The 2 choices are:
- Fixing a typo or broken link, a style change or similar in other words a minor change, which will not trigger an email being sent to users who have signed for email alerts about this page
A significant edit that affects what users need to do or know If you are making a significant change to the page, the system requires that you go on to write a 'change note'. If you do not add a change note and Save the page, the system will display a warning message reminding you that a change note is required.
Why change notes are important on GOV.UK
Change notes:
- let users know what has been altered on the page
- tell users when the change was made by updating the 'Last updated' date
When you add a change note and then publish an edit, the 'Last updated' field changes to reflect the date the edit was published on.
This screenshot shows how a GOV.UK page displays the fact that the page was first published on 3 January 2019, and Last updated on 28 March 2019. (As you can see, it also specifies that the edit was generated 'from Public Health England.)
If users click the see all updates link next to the 'Last updated date' it takes them to the bottom of the page, to a list of all the updates made to the page since it was first published, with a brief note on the reasons why.
This is where the text you inserted in the change note field displays.
How to write a good change note
A good change note should start with an 'action word' that briefly described the kind of edit that has been made - Added' or 'Updated' are the most common ones - followed by a very brief explanation of what's changed, for example 'Added latest flu data'.
Government Digital Service guidance
More information about change notes can be found on GOV.UK.