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Official copy check

Compare competing versions and record why one copy should be treated as authoritative.

By Jonathan Malchow Vega · Free · No signup

Start here

  1. List the copies as you found them. Do not tidy first.
  2. Find evidence of approval and ask the responsible person to confirm it.
  3. Record the official location and what remains unresolved.

A useful finish: The reason for trusting a copy can be explained without saying it is simply the newest file.

Use it here or take a copy

Fill in the browser worksheet below, or download the three-page workbook with a quick start, fictional example and two fillable pages.

Use the browser worksheetDownload fillable PDFDownload complete kit (ZIP)

Blank text template · Text example

Print pages 2 and 3 for a blank worksheet. Save and reopen a filled PDF to check your entries. Use the text template for longer notes.

See a completed fictional example

This example is invented to show how the worksheet works. It is not a client case study.

Document and purpose
Fictional staff travel policy, used to answer reimbursement questions.
Candidate copies
travel-final.docx, travel-final2.docx, and the PDF on the staff portal.
Evidence of authority
The portal PDF links to approval note AP-17. The two working files do not.
Owner confirmation
Policy owner confirms the portal PDF is the current approved version.
Official location and status
Staff portal / Travel / Current policy. Status: confirmed by owner.
What happens to the other copies
Keep the working copies pending retention review; link staff guidance to the portal copy.

Write your own notes

Your entries stay in this page. Download before closing or refreshing. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored by this tool.

Name the document and the task someone needs it for.

List each location, version and date without changing the files.

Look for an approval record or a maintained source, not just a recent timestamp.

Name who can confirm authority and record their answer or what is still pending.

Link to the agreed location. Mark unresolved cases as unconfirmed.

Record a safe next step; do not assume an older copy can be deleted.

Read alongside the worksheet

Read the practical guide

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Version 1.1 · 19 October 2026. Adapt for personal or internal organizational work. Keep the author and source credit on blank copies shared internally. Share this page when recommending the resource.