diff --git a/swh/loader/package/tests/test_pypi.py b/swh/loader/package/tests/test_pypi.py
index ea3dcb4..c298aa3 100644
--- a/swh/loader/package/tests/test_pypi.py
+++ b/swh/loader/package/tests/test_pypi.py
@@ -1,53 +1,151 @@
 # Copyright (C) 2019 The Software Heritage developers
 # See the AUTHORS file at the top-level directory of this distribution
 # License: GNU General Public License version 3, or any later version
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 
 import os
 import pytest
 
-from swh.loader.package.pypi import PyPILoader
+from swh.loader.package.pypi import PyPILoader, author
+
+
+def test_author_basic():
+    data = {
+        'author': "i-am-groot",
+        'author_email': 'iam@groot.org',
+    }
+    actual_author = author(data)
+
+    expected_author = {
+        'fullname': b'i-am-groot <iam@groot.org>',
+        'name': b'i-am-groot',
+        'email': b'iam@groot.org',
+    }
+
+    assert actual_author == expected_author
+
+
+def test_author_empty_email():
+    data = {
+        'author': 'i-am-groot',
+        'author_email': '',
+    }
+    actual_author = author(data)
+
+    expected_author = {
+        'fullname': b'i-am-groot',
+        'name': b'i-am-groot',
+        'email': b'',
+    }
+
+    assert actual_author == expected_author
+
+
+def test_author_empty_name():
+    data = {
+        'author': "",
+        'author_email': 'iam@groot.org',
+    }
+    actual_author = author(data)
+
+    expected_author = {
+        'fullname': b' <iam@groot.org>',
+        'name': b'',
+        'email': b'iam@groot.org',
+    }
+
+    assert actual_author == expected_author
+
+
+def test_author_malformed():
+    data = {
+        'author': "['pierre', 'paul', 'jacques']",
+        'author_email': None,
+    }
+
+    actual_author = author(data)
+
+    expected_author = {
+        'fullname': b"['pierre', 'paul', 'jacques']",
+        'name': b"['pierre', 'paul', 'jacques']",
+        'email': None,
+    }
+
+    assert actual_author == expected_author
+
+
+def test_author_malformed_2():
+    data = {
+        'author': '[marie, jeanne]',
+        'author_email': '[marie@some, jeanne@thing]',
+    }
+
+    actual_author = author(data)
+
+    expected_author = {
+        'fullname': b'[marie, jeanne] <[marie@some, jeanne@thing]>',
+        'name': b'[marie, jeanne]',
+        'email': b'[marie@some, jeanne@thing]',
+    }
+
+    assert actual_author == expected_author
+
+
+def test_author_malformed_3():
+    data = {
+        'author': '[marie, jeanne, pierre]',
+        'author_email': '[marie@somewhere.org, jeanne@somewhere.org]',
+    }
+
+    actual_author = author(data)
+
+    expected_author = {
+        'fullname': b'[marie, jeanne, pierre] <[marie@somewhere.org, jeanne@somewhere.org]>',  # noqa
+        'name': b'[marie, jeanne, pierre]',
+        'email': b'[marie@somewhere.org, jeanne@somewhere.org]',
+    }
+
+    actual_author == expected_author
 
-# scenario
 
 # configuration error #
 
 def test_badly_configured_loader_raise():
     """Badly configured loader should raise"""
     assert 'SWH_CONFIG_FILENAME' in os.environ  # cf. tox.ini
     del os.environ['SWH_CONFIG_FILENAME']
     with pytest.raises(ValueError) as e:
         PyPILoader(url='some-url')
 
     assert 'Misconfiguration' in e.value.args[0]
 
 # "edge" cases (for the same origin) #
 
 # no release artifact:
 # {visit full, status: uneventful, no contents, etc...}
 
 # problem during loading:
 # {visit: partial, status: uneventful, no snapshot}
 
 # problem during loading: failure early enough in between swh contents...
 # some contents (contents, directories, etc...) have been written in storage
 # {visit: partial, status: eventful, no snapshot}
 
 # problem during loading: failure late enough we can have snapshots (some
 # revisions are written in storage already)
 # {visit: partial, status: eventful, snapshot}
 
 # "normal" cases (for the same origin) #
 
 # release artifact, no prior visit
 # {visit full, status eventful, snapshot}
 
 # release artifact, no new artifact
 # {visit full, status uneventful, same snapshot as before}
 
 # release artifact, new artifact
 # {visit full, status full, new snapshot with shared history as prior snapshot}
 
 # release artifact, old artifact with different checksums
 # {visit full, status full, new snapshot with shared history and some new
 # different history}