Figure 3.

Importance of the revision tracking system. (A) A schematic example of the citation of the database at different periods. Two papers refer to the same database record at different periods before and after revision. This may cause inconsistency between what are cited. If a reader of these papers examines the database at a later period, the person may not be able to get the same information cited in these papers. (B) Record with a revision tracking system. Links to the previous versions ensure examination of the data cited in previous papers. Indication of the date of revision enables the identification of the versions cited at a particular period. This is not possible if only version numbers are provided. (C) Situation when the entire database is reorganized, causing the deletion of the record that has been cited in literature. (D) Because there is no record from which previous versions can be traced, previous cited data become inaccessible.