diff --git a/data/templates/default.jats b/data/templates/default.jats
index 5fd3590a5..709b10f57 100644
--- a/data/templates/default.jats
+++ b/data/templates/default.jats
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ $else$
 <article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="1.0" article-type="other">
 $endif$
 <front>
+$if(journal)$
 <journal-meta>
 $if(journal.publisher-id)$
 <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">$journal.publisher-id$</journal-id>
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ $if(journal.publisher-loc)$
 $endif$
 </publisher>
 </journal-meta>
+$endif$
 <article-meta>
 $if(article.publisher-id)$
 <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">$article.publisher-id$</article-id>
diff --git a/test/writer.jats b/test/writer.jats
index 7bbf8304d..4d3ba2ac6 100644
--- a/test/writer.jats
+++ b/test/writer.jats
@@ -3,13 +3,6 @@
                   "JATS-journalpublishing1.dtd">
 <article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="1.0" article-type="other">
 <front>
-<journal-meta>
-<journal-title-group>
-</journal-title-group>
-<publisher>
-<publisher-name></publisher-name>
-</publisher>
-</journal-meta>
 <article-meta>
 <title-group>
 <article-title>Pandoc Test Suite</article-title>