diff --git a/docs/governance.rst b/docs/governance.rst
index 44dd54d4a0..04bb739237 100644
--- a/docs/governance.rst
+++ b/docs/governance.rst
@@ -112,9 +112,9 @@ There are no special requirements to becoming a contributor other than having
 the interest and ability to provide a contribution. The libvirt project **does
 not require** any *"Contributor License Agreement"* to be signed prior to
 engagement with the community. However for contributing patches, providing a
-'Signed-off-by' line with the author's legal name and e-mail address to
-demonstrate agreement and compliance with the `Developer Certificate of
-Origin <https://developercertificate.org/>`__ is required.
+'Signed-off-by' line with the author's chosen name and e-mail address to
+demonstrate agreement and compliance with the `Developer Certificate
+of Origin <hacking.html#developer-certificate-of-origin>`__ is required.
 
 In making a non-patch contribution to the project, the community member is
 implicitly stating that they accept the terms of the license under which the
diff --git a/docs/hacking.rst b/docs/hacking.rst
index c2e79e4501..825b8b83d2 100644
--- a/docs/hacking.rst
+++ b/docs/hacking.rst
@@ -83,9 +83,12 @@ Contributors to libvirt projects **must** assert that they are
 in compliance with the `Developer Certificate of Origin
 1.1 <https://developercertificate.org/>`__. This is achieved by
 adding a "Signed-off-by" line containing the contributor's name
-and e-mail to every commit message. The presence of this line
-attests that the contributor has read the above lined DCO and
-agrees with its statements.
+and e-mail to every commit message. The name should be the identity
+the contributor has chosen to be known as in the context of the
+community. It does not need to be a legal name, nor match any
+formal ID documents, but should not be anonymous, nor misrepresent
+who you are. The presence of this line attests that the contributor
+has read the above linked DCO and agrees with its statements.
 
 Further reading
 ===============