diff --git a/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/java/eu/europeana/annotation/tests/AnnotationTestsConstants.java b/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/java/eu/europeana/annotation/tests/AnnotationTestsConstants.java
index 9b2608c02..45face57a 100644
--- a/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/java/eu/europeana/annotation/tests/AnnotationTestsConstants.java
+++ b/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/java/eu/europeana/annotation/tests/AnnotationTestsConstants.java
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ public String get_TAG_STANDARD_TEST_VALUE_TARGET(String itemDataEndpoint) {
   public static final String SEMANTICTAG_ENTITY = "/semantictag/semantictag_entity.json";
   public static final String SEMANTICTAG_AGENT_ENTITY = "/semantictag/semantictag_agent_entity.json";
   public static final String SEMANTICTAG_VCARD_ADDRESS = "/semantictag/vcard_address.json";
+  public static final String SEMANTICTAG_WRONG_MISSING_SCOPE = "/semantictag/wrong/web_resource_missing_scope.json";
   public static final String TAG_CANONICAL = "/tag/canonical.json";
   public static final String TAG_VIA_STRING = "/tag/via_string.json";
   public static final String TAG_VIA_ARRAY = "/tag/via_array.json";
diff --git a/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/java/eu/europeana/annotation/tests/web/AnnotationCreateIT.java b/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/java/eu/europeana/annotation/tests/web/AnnotationCreateIT.java
index 6522d500d..e19f9b102 100644
--- a/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/java/eu/europeana/annotation/tests/web/AnnotationCreateIT.java
+++ b/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/java/eu/europeana/annotation/tests/web/AnnotationCreateIT.java
@@ -436,6 +436,13 @@ void createWrongTag() throws Exception {
         assertEquals(response.getStatusCode().value(), HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST.value());
     }
     
+    @Test
+    void createSemanticTagWithMissingScope() throws Exception {
+        String requestBody = AnnotationTestUtils.getJsonStringInput(SEMANTICTAG_WRONG_MISSING_SCOPE);
+        ResponseEntity<String> response = storeTestAnnotationByType(true, requestBody,  WebAnnotationFields.TAG, null);
+        assertEquals(response.getStatusCode().value(), HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST.value());
+    }
+    
     @Test
     void createTagWithoutBody() throws Exception {
         
diff --git a/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/resources/semantictag/wrong/web_resource_missing_scope.json b/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/resources/semantictag/wrong/web_resource_missing_scope.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d78df1ec6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/annotation-tests/src/integration-test/resources/semantictag/wrong/web_resource_missing_scope.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+	"type": "Annotation",
+	"motivation": "tagging",
+	"body": "http://sws.geonames.org/2988507/",
+	"target": {
+		"source": "http://comhaltasarchive.ie/tracks/12535"
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/annotation-web/src/main/java/eu/europeana/annotation/web/validation/BaseAnnotationValidator.java b/annotation-web/src/main/java/eu/europeana/annotation/web/validation/BaseAnnotationValidator.java
index e66bb2344..66cac82ae 100644
--- a/annotation-web/src/main/java/eu/europeana/annotation/web/validation/BaseAnnotationValidator.java
+++ b/annotation-web/src/main/java/eu/europeana/annotation/web/validation/BaseAnnotationValidator.java
@@ -601,6 +601,8 @@ protected void validateTag(Annotation webAnnotation)
     } else {
       validateTagWithValue(body);
     }
+    
+    validateTargetFields(webAnnotation.getTarget());
   }
 
   protected void validateLinking(Annotation webAnnotation)
@@ -800,7 +802,7 @@ private void validateTargetFields(List<Target> targets) throws PropertyValidatio
   }
 
   private void validateTargetSpecificResource(Target target) throws PropertyValidationException {
-    // source must both be present in the target, and beside it (scope or selector) as well
+    // source must be present in the target, and beside it (scope or selector) as well
     if (target.getSource() == null) {
       throw new PropertyValidationException(I18nConstantsAnnotation.MESSAGE_MISSING_MANDATORY_FIELD,
           I18nConstantsAnnotation.MESSAGE_MISSING_MANDATORY_FIELD,