diff --git a/plugin/Plugin/Export/export_tab.py b/plugin/Plugin/Export/export_tab.py
index 0fa38e9..418a12e 100644
--- a/plugin/Plugin/Export/export_tab.py
+++ b/plugin/Plugin/Export/export_tab.py
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ def setup_ui(self):
         self.instruction_label.setText(
             "Configure your project metadata and select an "
             "export location for the RO-Crate package."
+            "Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required."
         )
         self.instruction_label.setWordWrap(True)
         self.export_layout.addWidget(self.instruction_label)
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ def setup_ui(self):
         self.author_layout.setContentsMargins(10, 10, 10, 10)
 
         # Author field
-        self.author_label = QLabel("Author:", self)
+        self.author_label = QLabel("Author (*):", self)
         self.author_LineEdit = QLineEdit(self)
         self.author_LineEdit.setPlaceholderText("Enter author name")
         self.author_LineEdit.setToolTip("Name of the author")
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ def setup_ui(self):
         self.metadata_layout.setContentsMargins(10, 10, 10, 10)
 
         # License field
-        self.license_label = QLabel("License:", self)
+        self.license_label = QLabel("License (*):", self)
         self.license_ComboBox = QComboBox(self)
         self.license_ComboBox.setToolTip(
             "Select the license for your dataset (required)"
@@ -133,14 +134,14 @@ def setup_ui(self):
         self.metadata_layout.addRow(self.license_label, self.license_ComboBox)
 
         # Title field
-        self.title_label = QLabel("Project Title:", self)
+        self.title_label = QLabel("Project Title (*):", self)
         self.title_LineEdit = QLineEdit(self)
         self.title_LineEdit.setPlaceholderText("Enter project title")
         self.title_LineEdit.setToolTip("Title for your QGIS project")
         self.metadata_layout.addRow(self.title_label, self.title_LineEdit)
 
         # Description field
-        self.description_label = QLabel("Description:", self)
+        self.description_label = QLabel("Description (*):", self)
         self.description_label.setAlignment(
             Qt.AlignLeading | Qt.AlignLeft | Qt.AlignTop
         )
@@ -166,7 +167,7 @@ def setup_ui(self):
         self.export_path_layout = QHBoxLayout()
         self.export_path_layout.setSpacing(8)
 
-        self.export_path_label = QLabel("Export Path:", self)
+        self.export_path_label = QLabel("Export Path (*):", self)
         self.export_path_label.setMinimumSize(QSize(80, 0))
         self.export_path_layout.addWidget(self.export_path_label)
 
@@ -281,6 +282,8 @@ def _setup_signal_connections(self):
 
         # Field validation connections
         self.title_LineEdit.textChanged.connect(self.validate_form)
+        self.description_TextEdit.textChanged.connect(self.validate_form)
+        self.author_LineEdit.textChanged.connect(self.validate_form)
         self.export_path_LineEdit.textChanged.connect(self.validate_form)
         self.license_ComboBox.currentTextChanged.connect(self.validate_form)
 
diff --git a/plugin/Plugin/Layer/layer_metadata_dialog.py b/plugin/Plugin/Layer/layer_metadata_dialog.py
index 4666db2..1482e66 100644
--- a/plugin/Plugin/Layer/layer_metadata_dialog.py
+++ b/plugin/Plugin/Layer/layer_metadata_dialog.py
@@ -52,8 +52,17 @@ def __init__(self, parent=None, layer=None):
     def setup_ui(self):
         """Setup the user interface components and layout."""
         self.setWindowTitle("Layer Metadata Documentation")
-        self.setMinimumSize(650, 700)
-        self.resize(650, 700)
+        self.setMinimumSize(650, 850)
+        self.resize(650, 850)
+
+        # Instruction label
+        self.instruction_label = QLabel(self)
+        self.instruction_label.setText(
+            "Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required."
+        )
+        self.instruction_label.setWordWrap(True)
+        
+
 
         # Main layout
         main_layout = QVBoxLayout()
@@ -68,6 +77,8 @@ def setup_ui(self):
         self._create_external_source_section(main_layout)
         self._create_button_section(main_layout)
 
+        main_layout.addWidget(self.instruction_label)
+
         self.setLayout(main_layout)
 
     def setup_logic(self):
@@ -145,7 +156,7 @@ def _create_basic_info_section(self, main_layout):
         self.description_textedit.setToolTip(
             "Provide a clear description of what this layer contains and its intended use"
         )
-        basic_info_layout.addRow("Description:", self.description_textedit)
+        basic_info_layout.addRow("Description (*): ", self.description_textedit)
 
         basic_info_group.setLayout(basic_info_layout)
         main_layout.addWidget(basic_info_group)
@@ -242,7 +253,7 @@ def _create_external_source_section(self, main_layout):
         self.source_title_lineedit.setToolTip(
             "Enter the official name or title of the data source"
         )
-        source_info_layout.addRow("Source Title:", self.source_title_lineedit)
+        source_info_layout.addRow("Source Title (*): ", self.source_title_lineedit)
 
         # Source URL
         self.source_url_lineedit = QLineEdit()
@@ -250,7 +261,7 @@ def _create_external_source_section(self, main_layout):
         self.source_url_lineedit.setToolTip(
             "Enter the URL where this data was obtained"
         )
-        source_info_layout.addRow("Source URL:", self.source_url_lineedit)
+        source_info_layout.addRow("Source URL (*): ", self.source_url_lineedit)
 
         # Source Date
         self.source_date_dateedit = QDateEdit()
@@ -350,8 +361,14 @@ def populate_fields(self):
         # External source fields
         if hasattr(self.layer, "source_title") and self.layer.source_title:
             self.source_title_lineedit.setText(self.layer.source_title)
+        # Set source URL from layer.source_url if available, otherwise use data source
         if hasattr(self.layer, "source_url") and self.layer.source_url:
             self.source_url_lineedit.setText(self.layer.source_url)
+        else:
+            # Use the data source as the source URL
+            data_source = str(getattr(self.layer, "source", ""))
+            if data_source:
+                self.source_url_lineedit.setText(data_source)
         if hasattr(self.layer, "source_date") and self.layer.source_date:
             date = QDate.fromString(self.layer.source_date, "yyyy-MM-dd")
             if date.isValid():