diff --git a/dags/springer/parser.py b/dags/springer/parser.py
index 6ee54910..af4db2e4 100644
--- a/dags/springer/parser.py
+++ b/dags/springer/parser.py
@@ -237,7 +237,8 @@ def _get_authors(self, article):
                         destination="surname", source="./AuthorName/FamilyName"
                     ),
                     TextExtractor(
-                        destination="given_names", source="./AuthorName/GivenName"
+                        destination="given_names", source="./AuthorName/GivenName",
+                        required=False
                     ),
                     TextExtractor(
                         destination="email", source="./Contact/Email", required=False