diff --git a/src/app/shared/shared.module.ts b/src/app/shared/shared.module.ts
index 816139c8b9..4654789b90 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/shared.module.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/shared.module.ts
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ import { RoleDirective } from './roles/role.directive';
 import { UserMenuComponent } from './auth-nav-menu/user-menu/user-menu.component';
 import { ClaimedTaskActionsReturnToPoolComponent } from './mydspace-actions/claimed-task/return-to-pool/claimed-task-actions-return-to-pool.component';
 import { ItemDetailPreviewFieldComponent } from './object-detail/my-dspace-result-detail-element/item-detail-preview/item-detail-preview-field/item-detail-preview-field.component';
+import { AbstractTrackableComponent } from './trackable/abstract-trackable.component';
 
 const MODULES = [
   // Do NOT include UniversalModule, HttpModule, or JsonpModule here
@@ -257,7 +258,8 @@ const COMPONENTS = [
   ItemSearchResultListElementComponent,
   TypedItemSearchResultListElementComponent,
   ItemTypeSwitcherComponent,
-  BrowseByComponent
+  BrowseByComponent,
+  AbstractTrackableComponent
 ];
 
 const ENTRY_COMPONENTS = [
@@ -311,6 +313,7 @@ const SHARED_ITEM_PAGE_COMPONENTS = [
 const PROVIDERS = [
   TruncatableService,
   MockAdminGuard,
+  AbstractTrackableComponent,
   {
     provide: DYNAMIC_FORM_CONTROL_MAP_FN,
     useValue: dsDynamicFormControlMapFn
diff --git a/src/app/shared/trackable/abstract-trackable.component.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/trackable/abstract-trackable.component.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3755092263
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/shared/trackable/abstract-trackable.component.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+import { async, ComponentFixture, TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { AbstractTrackableComponent } from './abstract-trackable.component';
+import { INotification, Notification } from '../notifications/models/notification.model';
+import { NotificationType } from '../notifications/models/notification-type';
+import { of as observableOf } from 'rxjs';
+import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
+import { ObjectUpdatesService } from '../../core/data/object-updates/object-updates.service';
+import { NotificationsService } from '../notifications/notifications.service';
+import { NO_ERRORS_SCHEMA } from '@angular/core';
+import { TestScheduler } from 'rxjs/testing';
+import { getTestScheduler } from 'jasmine-marbles';
+
+describe('AbstractTrackableComponent', () => {
+  let comp: AbstractTrackableComponent;
+  let fixture: ComponentFixture<AbstractTrackableComponent>;
+  let objectUpdatesService;
+  let scheduler: TestScheduler;
+
+  const infoNotification: INotification = new Notification('id', NotificationType.Info, 'info');
+  const warningNotification: INotification = new Notification('id', NotificationType.Warning, 'warning');
+  const successNotification: INotification = new Notification('id', NotificationType.Success, 'success');
+
+  const notificationsService = jasmine.createSpyObj('notificationsService',
+    {
+      info: infoNotification,
+      warning: warningNotification,
+      success: successNotification
+    }
+  );
+
+  const url = 'http://test-url.com/test-url';
+
+  beforeEach(async(() => {
+    objectUpdatesService = jasmine.createSpyObj('objectUpdatesService',
+      {
+        saveAddFieldUpdate: {},
+        discardFieldUpdates: {},
+        reinstateFieldUpdates: observableOf(true),
+        initialize: {},
+        hasUpdates: observableOf(true),
+        isReinstatable: observableOf(false), // should always return something --> its in ngOnInit
+        isValidPage: observableOf(true)
+      }
+    );
+
+    scheduler = getTestScheduler();
+
+    TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+      imports: [TranslateModule.forRoot()],
+      declarations: [AbstractTrackableComponent],
+      providers: [
+        {provide: ObjectUpdatesService, useValue: objectUpdatesService},
+        {provide: NotificationsService, useValue: notificationsService},
+      ], schemas: [
+        NO_ERRORS_SCHEMA
+      ]
+    }).compileComponents();
+  }));
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(AbstractTrackableComponent);
+    comp = fixture.componentInstance;
+    comp.url = url;
+
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+  });
+
+  it('should discard object updates', () => {
+    comp.discard();
+
+    expect(objectUpdatesService.discardFieldUpdates).toHaveBeenCalledWith(url, infoNotification);
+  });
+  it('should undo the discard of object updates', () => {
+    comp.reinstate();
+
+    expect(objectUpdatesService.reinstateFieldUpdates).toHaveBeenCalledWith(url);
+  });
+
+  describe('isReinstatable', () => {
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      objectUpdatesService.isReinstatable.and.returnValue(observableOf(true));
+    });
+
+    it('should return an observable that emits true', () => {
+      const expected = '(a|)';
+      scheduler.expectObservable(comp.isReinstatable()).toBe(expected, {a: true});
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('hasChanges', () => {
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      objectUpdatesService.hasUpdates.and.returnValue(observableOf(true));
+    });
+
+    it('should return an observable that emits true', () => {
+      const expected = '(a|)';
+      scheduler.expectObservable(comp.hasChanges()).toBe(expected, {a: true});
+    });
+  });
+
+});
diff --git a/src/app/shared/trackable/abstract-trackable.component.ts b/src/app/shared/trackable/abstract-trackable.component.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cd1b425f10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/shared/trackable/abstract-trackable.component.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import { ObjectUpdatesService } from '../../core/data/object-updates/object-updates.service';
+import { NotificationsService } from '../notifications/notifications.service';
+import { TranslateService } from '@ngx-translate/core';
+import { Observable } from 'rxjs';
+import { Component } from '@angular/core';
+
+/**
+ * Abstract Component that is able to track changes made in the inheriting component using the ObjectUpdateService
+ */
+@Component({
+  selector: 'ds-abstract-trackable',
+  template: ''
+})
+export class AbstractTrackableComponent {
+
+  /**
+   * The time span for being able to undo discarding changes
+   */
+  public discardTimeOut: number;
+  public message: string;
+  public url: string;
+  public notificationsPrefix = 'static-pages.form.notification';
+
+  constructor(
+    public objectUpdatesService: ObjectUpdatesService,
+    public notificationsService: NotificationsService,
+    public translateService: TranslateService,
+  ) {
+
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Request the object updates service to discard all current changes to this item
+   * Shows a notification to remind the user that they can undo this
+   */
+  discard() {
+    const undoNotification = this.notificationsService.info(this.getNotificationTitle('discarded'), this.getNotificationContent('discarded'), {timeOut: this.discardTimeOut});
+    this.objectUpdatesService.discardFieldUpdates(this.url, undoNotification);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Request the object updates service to undo discarding all changes to this item
+   */
+  reinstate() {
+    this.objectUpdatesService.reinstateFieldUpdates(this.url);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Checks whether or not the object is currently reinstatable
+   */
+  isReinstatable(): Observable<boolean> {
+    return this.objectUpdatesService.isReinstatable(this.url);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Checks whether or not there are currently updates for this object
+   */
+  hasChanges(): Observable<boolean> {
+    return this.objectUpdatesService.hasUpdates(this.url);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Get translated notification title
+   * @param key
+   */
+  private getNotificationTitle(key: string) {
+    return this.translateService.instant(this.notificationsPrefix + key + '.title');
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Get translated notification content
+   * @param key
+   */
+  private getNotificationContent(key: string) {
+    return this.translateService.instant(this.notificationsPrefix + key + '.content');
+
+  }
+}