diff --git a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/generators/ManageLabelsForPersonGenerator.java b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/generators/ManageLabelsForPersonGenerator.java
index 41675678..71b23856 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/generators/ManageLabelsForPersonGenerator.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/generators/ManageLabelsForPersonGenerator.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
 
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpSession;
 
+import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 
@@ -296,7 +297,7 @@ public class ManageLabelsForPersonGenerator extends BaseEditConfigurationGenerat
 			//for selection when creating a new label
 			//The assumption here is we don't want to allow the user to add a new label when a label
 			//already exists in that language
-			if(languageName != "untyped" && !existingLabelsLanguageNames.contains(languageName)) {
+			if(!"untyped".equals(languageName) && !existingLabelsLanguageNames.contains(languageName)) {
 				availableLocales.add(localeInfo);
 			}
 		}
@@ -368,7 +369,7 @@ public class ManageLabelsForPersonGenerator extends BaseEditConfigurationGenerat
 		for(Literal l: labels) {
 			String languageTag = l.getLanguage();
 			String languageName = "";
-			if(languageTag == "") {
+			if(StringUtils.isEmpty(languageTag)) {
 				languageName = "untyped";
 			}
 			else if(localeCodeToNameMap.containsKey(languageTag)) {
@@ -377,7 +378,7 @@ public class ManageLabelsForPersonGenerator extends BaseEditConfigurationGenerat
 				log.warn("This language tag " + languageTag + " does not have corresponding name in the system and was not processed");
 			}
 			
-			if(languageName != "") {
+			if(!StringUtils.isEmpty(languageName)) {
 				if(!labelsHash.containsKey(languageName)) {
 					labelsHash.put(languageName, new ArrayList<LabelInformation>());
 				}
diff --git a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/preprocessors/AddAssociatedConceptsPreprocessor.java b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/preprocessors/AddAssociatedConceptsPreprocessor.java
index d7b17b90..856de69c 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/preprocessors/AddAssociatedConceptsPreprocessor.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/preprocessors/AddAssociatedConceptsPreprocessor.java
@@ -801,7 +801,7 @@ public class AddAssociatedConceptsPreprocessor extends
 						//Make or retrieve URI for this label
 						//TODO: Do we create this string with empty inputs ?
 						String  uri = getURIForSemanticTypeLabel(label);
-						if(uri != "") {
+						if(!StringUtils.isEmpty(uri)) {
 							//uri var shouldn't be repeated?
 							if(!this.conceptSemanticTypeURIVarToValueMap.containsKey(uriVar)) {
 							this.conceptSemanticTypeURIVarToValueMap.put(uriVar, new ArrayList<String>());
diff --git a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coauthorship/CoAuthorshipGraphMLWriter.java b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coauthorship/CoAuthorshipGraphMLWriter.java
index ede6d78c..556a22ed 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coauthorship/CoAuthorshipGraphMLWriter.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coauthorship/CoAuthorshipGraphMLWriter.java
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ public class CoAuthorshipGraphMLWriter {
 
 		Set<Collaboration>  edges = coAuthorshipData.getCollaborations();
 		List<Collaboration> orderedEdges = new ArrayList<Collaboration>(edges);
-		Collections.sort(orderedEdges, new CollaborationComparator());
+		orderedEdges.sort(new CollaborationComparator());
 
 		for (Collaboration currentEdge : orderedEdges) {
 			/*
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ public class CoAuthorshipGraphMLWriter {
 		List<Collaborator> orderedAuthorNodes = new ArrayList<Collaborator>(authorNodes);
 		orderedAuthorNodes.remove(egoNode);
 		
-		Collections.sort(orderedAuthorNodes, new CollaboratorComparator());
+		orderedAuthorNodes.sort(new CollaboratorComparator());
 		
 		for (Collaborator currNode : orderedAuthorNodes) {
 			/*
diff --git a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coauthorship/CoAuthorshipQueryRunner.java b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coauthorship/CoAuthorshipQueryRunner.java
index 7e7ee384..649e0862 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coauthorship/CoAuthorshipQueryRunner.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coauthorship/CoAuthorshipQueryRunner.java
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ public class CoAuthorshipQueryRunner implements QueryRunner<CoAuthorshipData> {
 					List<Collaborator> coAuthorNodes =
 							new ArrayList<Collaborator>(currentBiboDocumentEntry.getValue());
 
-					Collections.sort(coAuthorNodes, new CollaboratorComparator());
+					coAuthorNodes.sort(new CollaboratorComparator());
 
 					int numOfCoAuthors = coAuthorNodes.size();
 
diff --git a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coprincipalinvestigator/CoPIGrantCountQueryRunner.java b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coprincipalinvestigator/CoPIGrantCountQueryRunner.java
index 6795cea7..b32bfc94 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coprincipalinvestigator/CoPIGrantCountQueryRunner.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coprincipalinvestigator/CoPIGrantCountQueryRunner.java
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ public class CoPIGrantCountQueryRunner implements QueryRunner<CollaborationData>
 			 * */
 					List<Collaborator> coPINodes =
 							new ArrayList<Collaborator>(currentGrantEntry.getValue());
-					Collections.sort(coPINodes, new CollaboratorComparator());
+					coPINodes.sort(new CollaboratorComparator());
 
 					int numOfCoPIs = coPINodes.size();
 
diff --git a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coprincipalinvestigator/CoPIGraphMLWriter.java b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coprincipalinvestigator/CoPIGraphMLWriter.java
index 4f467ccf..03cae0a0 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coprincipalinvestigator/CoPIGraphMLWriter.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/visualization/coprincipalinvestigator/CoPIGraphMLWriter.java
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ public class CoPIGraphMLWriter {
 		
 		Set<Collaboration> edges = coPIData.getCollaborations();
 		List<Collaboration> orderedEdges = new ArrayList<Collaboration>(edges);
-		Collections.sort(orderedEdges, new CollaborationComparator());
+		orderedEdges.sort(new CollaborationComparator());
 
 		for (Collaboration currentEdge : orderedEdges) {
 			/*
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ public class CoPIGraphMLWriter {
 		List<Collaborator> orderedPINodes = new ArrayList<Collaborator>(piNodes);
 		orderedPINodes.remove(egoNode);
 		
-		Collections.sort(orderedPINodes, new CollaboratorComparator());
+		orderedPINodes.sort(new CollaboratorComparator());
 		
 		
 		for (Collaborator currNode : orderedPINodes) {