The terms major edit and minor edit are used to describe article edits and are used in a variety of ways on the site. They focus on change of meaning, not necessarily length.

Minor edits

Minor edits are changes that do not significantly alter the substance or meaning of the content. They are typically superficial in nature and focus on improving readability, correcting typos, formatting, or fixing minor grammatical errors.

Examples of minor edits include:

• spelling and grammar corrections

• formatting adjustments (e.g. bullet points, indentation)

• rewording paragraphs without changing the meaning

• adding or removing links to other articles

• adding illustrative cases

Major edits

Major edits involve changes that add information or change the meaning of part of the article. They do not necessarily need to be long edits.

Examples of major edits include:

• adding additional information and references

• deleting information that changes the meaning of the article

• adding differential diagnoses or radiographic features

Size of change

The size or extensiveness of edits does not predict major vs minor. The mere addition of "no" or "do not" to a long article would be a major change. For example:

• "Vaccines prevent diseases." changed to "Vaccines do not prevent diseases." is considered a major change

In contrast, an extensive edit of the whole article, changing the order of paragraphs, rewording sections, changing style, etc, provided no new information is added and meaning is not changed, could still be considered a minor edit.

References

Contributors are encouraged to exercise caution when making major edits and should be prepared to provide adequate references or justifications for significant changes.

Collaboration and communication with other contributors via Radiopaedia Chat is helpful to ensure that major edits are well-supported and align with the collaborative spirit of Radiopaedia.