diff --git a/docs/user-guide-sharing/validating-files.md b/docs/user-guide-sharing/validating-files.md
index 07a0718e..a2481fa4 100644
--- a/docs/user-guide-sharing/validating-files.md
+++ b/docs/user-guide-sharing/validating-files.md
@@ -47,7 +47,6 @@ Passing all of these levels of validation can sometimes be tricky. If you have a
 
 Once your files are converted to the BIDS standard,
 
+  - ensure that you have a [`dataset_description.json`](https://bids-specification.readthedocs.io/en/stable/modality-agnostic-files/dataset-description.html#dataset_descriptionjson) file at the top-level of your dataset directory;
   - ensure that you have a `.bidsignore` file containing `dandiset.yaml`, since that DANDI-specific file is not part of the BIDS specification;
-  - perform validation of the files using [dandi validate](https://dandi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/cmdline/validate.html) to ensure your data is compliant with the BIDS and/or NWB standards. Alternatively, you could independently validate your files using the [BIDS Validator](https://bids.neuroimaging.io/tools/validator.html) and/or [NWB Inspector](https://nwb.org/tools/core/nwbinspector/). 
-
-Note that [dandi upload](https://dandi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/cmdline/upload.html) will also perform validation during upload.
+  - perform validation of the files using [`dandi validate`](https://dandi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/cmdline/validate.html) to ensure your data is compliant with the BIDS and/or NWB standards. Alternatively, you could independently validate your files using the [BIDS Validator](https://bids.neuroimaging.io/tools/validator.html) and/or [NWB Inspector](https://nwb.org/tools/core/nwbinspector/). Note that [`dandi upload`](https://dandi.readthedocs.io/en/latest/cmdline/upload.html) will also perform validation during upload.