# Who uses version control?

Version control systems have been made popular in recent years by software developers for the ability to programmatically compare different users' text files. Software developers are writing code -- but the same rules apply to the larger writing community. In the last few years, a much larger population of writers -- from scientific authors to novelists -- has come to adopt a version control system into the writing process as there are enormous benefits for productivity and collaboration.

# How does version control benefit researchers?

In an Authorea document you can now see a summary of all the changes that an author made on a given day. It's important to note that this isn't merely "Tracking changes" from Microsoft Word -- it's a much more comprehensive presentation of changes that is available from the creation of the article forward. As a result, you can easily catch up on any updates you've missed on a document. You can also see who's been working on a document and get a quick glimpse of how a document has evolved over time. Think of it as a sophisticated track changes that's always on in the background.
Try out the new version control system for research writing by logging into Authorea Beta (make sure you have switched to the Authorea Beta Editor).
What's coming next? We will add the ability to revert to previous versions (e.g. "undo all the work done by Mark yesterday") and adding a "suggestion mode" capability to allow co-authors to suggest edits which are then approved and merged in by the lead author(s).