diff --git a/scipost_django/submissions/migrations/0142_alter_submission_author_list.py b/scipost_django/submissions/migrations/0142_alter_submission_author_list.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..19c27d8a9315d344f2f650fb6744a1bcfa0f67c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scipost_django/submissions/migrations/0142_alter_submission_author_list.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Generated by Django 3.2.16 on 2023-01-24 10:58
+
+from django.db import migrations, models
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ('submissions', '0141_alter_readiness_status'),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AlterField(
+            model_name='submission',
+            name='author_list',
+            field=models.CharField(help_text='Please use full first names (we <strong>beg</strong> you!): <em>Abe Cee, Dee Efgee, Haich Idjay Kay</em><br>(not providing full first names makes metadata handling unnecessarily work-intensive for us)', max_length=10000, verbose_name='author list'),
+        ),
+    ]
diff --git a/scipost_django/submissions/models/submission.py b/scipost_django/submissions/models/submission.py
index 4624e8cd16f998d3f70cd719375c5e0b6ae010e4..2731c1db1f054de4cfa7b7bfcd80739a0551e90a 100644
--- a/scipost_django/submissions/models/submission.py
+++ b/scipost_django/submissions/models/submission.py
@@ -210,7 +210,16 @@ class Submission(models.Model):
     )
 
     author_comments = models.TextField(blank=True)
-    author_list = models.CharField(max_length=10000, verbose_name="author list")
+    author_list = models.CharField(
+        max_length=10000,
+        verbose_name="author list",
+        help_text=(
+            "Please use full first names (we <strong>beg</strong> you!): "
+            "<em>Abe Cee, Dee Efgee, Haich Idjay Kay</em>"
+            "<br>(not providing full first names makes metadata handling "
+            "unnecessarily work-intensive for us)"
+        ),
+    )
 
     # Ontology-based semantic linking
     acad_field = models.ForeignKey(