diff --git a/modules/ve-mw/dm/models/ve.dm.MWImageModel.js b/modules/ve-mw/dm/models/ve.dm.MWImageModel.js
index 45a2061fd1..fc577d97b3 100644
--- a/modules/ve-mw/dm/models/ve.dm.MWImageModel.js
+++ b/modules/ve-mw/dm/models/ve.dm.MWImageModel.js
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ ve.dm.MWImageModel.prototype.insertImageNode = function ( fragment ) {
 			fragment.insertContent( contentToInsert );
 			// Check if there is caption document and insert it
 			captionDoc = this.getCaptionDocument();
-			if ( captionDoc.data.countNonInternalElements() > 2 ) {
+			if ( captionDoc.data.hasContent() ) {
 				// Add contents of new caption
 				surfaceModel.change(
 					ve.dm.Transaction.newFromDocumentInsertion(
diff --git a/modules/ve-mw/ui/dialogs/ve.ui.MWReferenceDialog.js b/modules/ve-mw/ui/dialogs/ve.ui.MWReferenceDialog.js
index 343945bbb5..2929bf2c52 100644
--- a/modules/ve-mw/ui/dialogs/ve.ui.MWReferenceDialog.js
+++ b/modules/ve-mw/ui/dialogs/ve.ui.MWReferenceDialog.js
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ ve.ui.MWReferenceDialog.static.getImportRules = function () {
  */
 ve.ui.MWReferenceDialog.prototype.documentHasContent = function () {
 	// TODO: Check for other types of empty, e.g. only whitespace?
-	return this.referenceModel.getDocument().data.countNonInternalElements() > 2;
+	return this.referenceModel.getDocument().data.hasContent();
 };
 
 /*