diff --git a/src/js/react/Recommender/models/searchExamples.js b/src/js/react/Recommender/models/searchExamples.js
index 1168c7bc1..8e78bbf30 100644
--- a/src/js/react/Recommender/models/searchExamples.js
+++ b/src/js/react/Recommender/models/searchExamples.js
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ define([], function() {
     },
     {
       label: 'first author',
-      syntax: 'author:"^%"',
+      syntax: 'first_author:"%"',
       examples: authors,
     },
     {
diff --git a/src/js/widgets/search_bar/autocomplete.js b/src/js/widgets/search_bar/autocomplete.js
index a36926245..0a1f763dd 100644
--- a/src/js/widgets/search_bar/autocomplete.js
+++ b/src/js/widgets/search_bar/autocomplete.js
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@ define(['jquery', 'analytics'], function($, analytics) {
   const autocompleteSource = [
     { value: 'author:""', label: 'Author', match: 'author:"' },
 
-    { value: 'author:"^"', label: 'First Author', match: 'author:"' },
-    { value: 'author:"^"', label: 'First Author', match: 'first author' },
-    { value: 'author:"^"', label: 'First Author', match: '^author' },
-    { value: 'author:"^"', label: 'First Author', match: 'author:"^' },
+    { value: 'first_author:""', label: 'First Author', match: 'author:"' },
+    { value: 'first_author:""', label: 'First Author', match: 'first author' },
+    { value: 'first_author:""', label: 'First Author', match: '^author' },
+    { value: 'first_author:""', label: 'First Author', match: 'author:"^' },
 
     {
       value: 'bibstem:""',
diff --git a/src/js/widgets/search_bar/quick-field-desc.js b/src/js/widgets/search_bar/quick-field-desc.js
index 0b784eedc..2b0a06911 100644
--- a/src/js/widgets/search_bar/quick-field-desc.js
+++ b/src/js/widgets/search_bar/quick-field-desc.js
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ define({
   'first-author': {
     title: 'first author',
     description: 'Search by first author of the paper',
-    syntax: ['author:"^Last, F"'],
-    example: ['author:"^huchra, j"'],
+    syntax: ['first_author:"Last, F"'],
+    example: ['first_author:"huchra, j"'],
   },
   full: {
     title: 'fulltext',
diff --git a/src/js/widgets/search_bar/search_bar_widget.js b/src/js/widgets/search_bar/search_bar_widget.js
index 84f087bb4..84a4f2a30 100644
--- a/src/js/widgets/search_bar/search_bar_widget.js
+++ b/src/js/widgets/search_bar/search_bar_widget.js
@@ -301,8 +301,8 @@ define([
         case 'fields':
           {
             if (val === 'first-author') {
-              val = 'author';
-              selected = selected.replace(/"/, '"^');
+              val = 'first_author';
+              // selected = selected.replace(/"/, '"^');
             } else if (val === 'year') {
               selected = selected.replace(/"/g, '');
             }
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ define([
           return;
         }
       } else if (df == 'first-author') {
-        newVal = ' author:"^' + selected + '"';
+        newVal = ' first_author:"' + selected + '"';
       } else if (punc == '"') {
         newVal = df + ':"' + selected + '"';
       } else if (punc == '(') {