Why change notes are important on GOV.UK
Change notes have two functions on the GOV.UK site:
- to reflect the date of publication in the 'last updated' field of a Gov.UK web page
- to let the public know what has been altered on the page
A change note must be added to the page for both of those things to happen.
This screenshot shows how a GOV.UK page displays the fact that the page was first published on 3 January 2019, and Last updated 28 March 2019
Users can then click on the see all updates link which takes them to a list of all the updates made to the page since it was first published, and the reasons why. This is where the text you insert in a change note 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 likely to be 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.