diff --git a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/rdfservice/impl/jena/tdb/RDFServiceTDB.java b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/rdfservice/impl/jena/tdb/RDFServiceTDB.java
index a600d4dcf..adcb69826 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/rdfservice/impl/jena/tdb/RDFServiceTDB.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/rdfservice/impl/jena/tdb/RDFServiceTDB.java
@@ -76,11 +76,19 @@ public class RDFServiceTDB extends RDFServiceJena {
 			}
 			notifyListenersOfPreChangeEvents(changeSet);
 
-			dataset.begin(ReadWrite.WRITE);
-			try {
-				applyChangeSetToModel(changeSet, dataset);
-				dataset.commit();
-			} finally {
+			dataset.begin(ReadWrite.WRITE);          
+            try {
+                boolean committed = false;
+                try {                   
+                    applyChangeSetToModel(changeSet, dataset);
+                    dataset.commit();
+                    committed = true;
+                } finally {
+                    if(!committed) {
+                        dataset.abort();
+                    }
+                }
+            } finally {                
 				dataset.end();
 			}