revisionclarifying

Revisionclarifying is a practice in document editing and version control in which editors accompany substantive revisions with explicit notes that justify and explain the changes. The aim is to make the evolution of a document understandable to readers and future editors, ensuring that revisions reflect deliberate choices rather than arbitrary edits.

Though not tied to a single field, revisionclarifying is commonly used in collaborative writing, technical documentation, and academic work. Proponents argue that it improves transparency in the editing process by linking each change to a stated goal, such as increasing precision, aligning with terminology, or satisfying policy requirements.

Typical workflow involves identifying revisions, writing concise rationale for each change, and attaching these notes to the change set. Editors may annotate diffs, reference related sections, and flag potential ambiguities for review. Practices vary, but the core idea is to maintain a narrative of change alongside the text.

Benefits include improved traceability, easier onboarding for new contributors, and better governance of version histories. Potential drawbacks include increased workload and the risk of redundant or overly lengthy notes if not disciplined.

Example: In a software documentation revision, replacing “the method” with “the getValue method” is accompanied by a note: “specifies the exact API name to reduce confusion with similarly named functions.”

Related concepts include change logs, editorial notes, and version control.