diff --git a/src/wp-includes/author-template.php b/src/wp-includes/author-template.php
index eb050d89d8..cd4000a164 100644
--- a/src/wp-includes/author-template.php
+++ b/src/wp-includes/author-template.php
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ function the_modified_author() {
  *
  * @param string $field selects the field of the users record.
  * @param int $user_id Optional. User ID.
- * @return string The author's field from the current author's DB object.
+ * @return string The author's field from the current author's DB object, otherwise an empty string.
  */
 function get_the_author_meta( $field = '', $user_id = false ) {
 	$original_user_id = $user_id;