diff --git a/lib/attribution.py b/lib/attribution.py
index 8b571b9..694bd1f 100644
--- a/lib/attribution.py
+++ b/lib/attribution.py
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ def normalize_handle(handle: str, conn=None) -> str:
     if not handle:
         return ""
     h = handle.strip().lower().lstrip("@")
+    h = re.sub(r"\s*\(self-directed\)\s*$", "", h)
     if conn is None:
         return h
     try:
diff --git a/research/research-session.sh b/research/research-session.sh
index 4f6703a..dc40e07 100755
--- a/research/research-session.sh
+++ b/research/research-session.sh
@@ -267,7 +267,6 @@ format: tweet | thread
 status: unprocessed
 priority: high | medium | low
 tags: [topic1, topic2]
-proposed_by: ${AGENT}
 intake_tier: research-task
 ---