diff --git a/modules/services/wikidata.js b/modules/services/wikidata.js
index aa45f2166..08932a230 100644
--- a/modules/services/wikidata.js
+++ b/modules/services/wikidata.js
@@ -4,10 +4,17 @@ import { qsString } from '../util/index';
 var wikidata = {},
     endpoint = 'https://www.wikidata.org/w/api.php?';
 
+
 export function init() {
+
     // Given a Wikipedia language and article title, return an array of
     // corresponding Wikidata entities.
     wikidata.itemsByTitle = function(lang, title, callback) {
+        if (!title) {
+            callback('', {});
+            return;
+        }
+
         lang = lang || 'en';
         jsonpRequest(endpoint + qsString({
             action: 'wbgetentities',
@@ -17,8 +24,14 @@ export function init() {
             languages: 'en', // shrink response by filtering to one language
             callback: '{callback}'
         }), function(data) {
-            callback(title, data.entities || {});
+            if (!data || data.error) {
+                callback('', {});
+            } else {
+                callback(title, data.entities || {});
+            }
         });
     };
+
+
     return wikidata;
 }
diff --git a/modules/services/wikipedia.js b/modules/services/wikipedia.js
index 3e37687d9..87dcb87d0 100644
--- a/modules/services/wikipedia.js
+++ b/modules/services/wikipedia.js
@@ -4,10 +4,11 @@ import { qsString } from '../util/index';
 var wikipedia = {},
     endpoint = 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?';
 
+
 export function init() {
     wikipedia.search = function(lang, query, callback) {
         if (!query) {
-            callback([]);
+            callback('', []);
             return;
         }
 
@@ -22,17 +23,17 @@ export function init() {
                 callback: '{callback}',
                 srsearch: query
             }), function(data) {
-                if (!data || !data.query || !data.query.search) {
-                    callback([]);
-                    return;
+                if (!data || !data.query || !data.query.search || data.error) {
+                    callback('', []);
+                } else {
+                    var results = data.query.search.map(function(d) { return d.title; });
+                    callback(query, results);
                 }
-                callback(query, data.query.search.map(function(d) {
-                    return d.title;
-                }));
             }
         );
     };
 
+
     wikipedia.suggestions = function(lang, query, callback) {
         if (!query) {
             callback('', []);
@@ -48,16 +49,17 @@ export function init() {
                 format: 'json',
                 callback: '{callback}',
                 search: query
-            }), function(d) {
-                if (!d || d.error) {
+            }), function(data) {
+                if (!data || data.error) {
                     callback('', []);
-                    return;
+                } else {
+                    callback(data[0], data[1] || []);
                 }
-                callback(d[0], d[1]);
             }
         );
     };
 
+
     wikipedia.translations = function(lang, title, callback) {
         if (!title) {
             callback({});
@@ -72,23 +74,23 @@ export function init() {
                 callback: '{callback}',
                 lllimit: 500,
                 titles: title
-            }), function(d) {
-                if (!d || d.error) {
+            }), function(data) {
+                if (!data || !data.query || !data.query.pages || data.error) {
                     callback({});
-                    return;
-                }
-
-                var list = d.query.pages[Object.keys(d.query.pages)[0]],
-                    translations = {};
-                if (list && list.langlinks) {
-                    list.langlinks.forEach(function(d) {
-                        translations[d.lang] = d['*'];
-                    });
+                } else {
+                    var list = data.query.pages[Object.keys(data.query.pages)[0]],
+                        translations = {};
+                    if (list && list.langlinks) {
+                        list.langlinks.forEach(function(d) {
+                            translations[d.lang] = d['*'];
+                        });
+                    }
                     callback(translations);
                 }
             }
         );
     };
 
+
     return wikipedia;
 }
diff --git a/modules/ui/fields/wikipedia.js b/modules/ui/fields/wikipedia.js
index d6d7c2096..e4305b232 100644
--- a/modules/ui/fields/wikipedia.js
+++ b/modules/ui/fields/wikipedia.js
@@ -41,10 +41,11 @@ export function wikipedia(field, context) {
 
         var titlecombo = d3combobox()
             .fetcher(function(value, cb) {
+                if (!value) {
+                    value = context.entity(entity.id).tags.name || '';
+                }
 
-                if (!value) value = context.entity(entity.id).tags.name || '';
                 var searchfn = value.length > 7 ? wikipedia.search : wikipedia.suggestions;
-
                 searchfn(language()[2], value, function(query, data) {
                     cb(data.map(function(d) {
                         return { value: d };
@@ -162,7 +163,10 @@ export function wikipedia(field, context) {
         var initEntityId = entity.id,
             initWikipedia = context.entity(initEntityId).tags.wikipedia;
 
-        wikidata.itemsByTitle(language()[2], value, function (title, data) {
+        wikidata.itemsByTitle(language()[2], value, function(title, data) {
+            if (!data || !Object.keys(data).length) return;
+            var qids = Object.keys(data);
+
             // 1. most recent change was a tag change
             var annotation = t('operations.change_tags.annotation'),
                 currAnnotation = context.history().undoAnnotation();
@@ -174,12 +178,11 @@ export function wikipedia(field, context) {
             if (currEntityId !== initEntityId) return;
 
             // 3. wikipedia value has not changed
-            var currTags = _.clone(context.entity(currEntityId).tags),
-                qids = data && Object.keys(data);
+            var currTags = _.clone(context.entity(currEntityId).tags);
             if (initWikipedia !== currTags.wikipedia) return;
 
             // ok to coalesce the update of wikidata tag into the previous tag change
-            currTags.wikidata = qids && _.find(qids, function (id) {
+            currTags.wikidata = qids && _.find(qids, function(id) {
                 return id.match(/^Q\d+$/);
             });