New versions and editing old versions - what's the difference?

Sometimes you may wish to make edits to an existing record within the Repository. In such cases it would seem easier to edit the existing record than create a new version, but this is not actually the case.

To explain, records in the Repository can "live" in three main areas, which you can see when you click "Manage Deposits" after logging in:

1. Your user work area, where you initially create the record before depositing it, at which point it moves into -
2. The under review buffer, where it stays in a "locked" form, waiting to be checked by an editor (who checks things like are details fully completed, do uploaded documents comply with copyright restrictions); if changes are required the editors will move it back into your work area, and if everything is fine the editors move it into -
3. The live archive, at which point the record becomes available to TULIP, to search engines, and the public view of the Repository. At this point the record is considered the final record, and can't be changed.

But what if you need to change it? For example, something in press has now been published, or you realise the publisher has changed the title of your document.

At this point, it is more straightforward for you to go into the Repository, view the item in question by clicking the view icon (see below), then Actions > New Item, as shown in the screenshots below.

Why is this quicker? Because you then immediately have a new version of that record in your user work area which you can then edit. To edit an existing live record (which is considered the final record), you would need to send an email to the Repository team asking for the existing record to be moved back into your work area, which would slow down the process of editing the record.

The "Stepping Stones" blog entry below outlines why there is no need to worry about having multiple versions of the same item in your manage deposits area, as only the most recently-approved version will be available to TULIP, and only the most recently-approved version will be publicly viewable.