What to record when a help article changes after you summarized it

When a help article changes after you summarized it, record the old claim, the new claim, the checked dates, and whether the practical advice changed.

Help articles are often living documents. A vendor may change a setup step, rename a setting, add a region limitation, remove a workaround, or update a screenshot without creating a new URL. If your summary keeps circulating, readers may follow instructions that were correct when written but wrong now. The update note should make that difference visible.

Start by identifying the affected part. Was it a prerequisite, button label, plan limit, supported country, troubleshooting step, warning, or policy condition? Then compare the previous summary with the current article. Do not simply overwrite the text. Add a short correction note that says what changed and what readers should do differently. If the advice did not change, say that the source wording changed but the recommended action is still the same.

Keep screenshots and quotes minimal unless they are necessary. Many summaries do not need a full archive of the old article. They need enough evidence to explain why the note changed. If the article affects payments, security, compliance, or customer communication, make the correction more visible near the opening.

The useful outcome is continuity. Readers can see that the summary was maintained, not abandoned.

What to record when a help article changes after you summarized it

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