diff --git a/src/main/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dto/QueryDto.java b/src/main/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dto/QueryDto.java
index 6d31fd6..6918b6d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dto/QueryDto.java
+++ b/src/main/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/dto/QueryDto.java
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
  */
 @Getter
 @Setter
-@JsonInclude(Include.NON_DEFAULT)
+@JsonInclude(Include.NON_NULL)
 public class QueryDto {
 
     private int id;
diff --git a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/vc/VirtualCorpusControllerTest.java b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/vc/VirtualCorpusControllerTest.java
index 13ce875..b4c44d8 100644
--- a/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/vc/VirtualCorpusControllerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/de/ids_mannheim/korap/web/controller/vc/VirtualCorpusControllerTest.java
@@ -402,6 +402,20 @@
         assertEquals(node.at("/collection/@type").asText(), "koral:doc");
         assertEquals(node.at("/collection/key").asText(), "corpusSigle");
         assertEquals(node.at("/collection/value").asText(), "WPD17");
+        
+        json = "{\"corpusQuery\": \"corpusSigle=GOE AND creationDate since "
+                + "1820\"}";
+        editVC("dory", "dory", "dory-vc", json);
+        node = testRetrieveKoralQuery("dory", "dory-vc");
+        assertEquals(node.at("/collection/@type").asText(), "koral:docGroup");
+        assertEquals(node.at("/collection/operation").asText(),
+                "operation:and");
+        assertEquals(node.at("/collection/operands/0/key").asText(),
+                "corpusSigle");
+        assertEquals(node.at("/collection/operands/0/value").asText(), "GOE");
+        assertEquals(node.at("/collection/operands/1/key").asText(),
+                "creationDate");
+        assertEquals(node.at("/collection/operands/1/value").asText(), "1820");
     }
 
     private JsonNode testRetrieveKoralQuery (String username, String vcName)