Preserve license observations with the asset version you actually selected

A licensing observation can become hard to reconstruct when a page changes or several files share a similar description. Record what was observed and which file was selected without presenting the record as a guarantee that the statement was correct.

Make the decision explicit

Save the source URL, observed date, file identifier and relevant metadata with the selected asset. Where your workflow retains a copy of the source statement, keep it separate from your own approval note. A snapshot is an observation; approval describes a review decision under a particular intended use. Neither should silently replace the other.

A worked example

For a fictional project, an editor downloads a photograph on Monday and later replaces it with a higher-resolution scan from another page. The first file's source record does not automatically apply to the replacement. Link the new file to its own evidence and review any differences, even when the visible subject appears identical.

Review before handoff

Before handoff, verify that every used asset points to the record inspected for that version. A content digest can help detect a changed file, but it does not establish authorship or permission. Keep the distinction visible in exports so a receiving collaborator can investigate a question without treating the manifest itself as legal clearance.

Put the idea to work

Read source snapshot and use the related free workflow tool for its stated, limited task. Neither link replaces the review described above.

Reference and editorial notes

• Wikimedia Commons: reusing content

References checked October 29, 2026. Numerical and fictional scenarios are illustrative unless explicitly identified otherwise. The cover is an original Topicut explanatory diagram, not a product screenshot or a measurement.