diff --git a/workflow/conf/multiqc_config.yaml b/workflow/conf/multiqc_config.yaml
index 5d57d0959e27bb34e7e3631e09dc062946f1635a..9cf4a9a6047ba641d618f5806a771c60e8209177 100644
--- a/workflow/conf/multiqc_config.yaml
+++ b/workflow/conf/multiqc_config.yaml
@@ -64,9 +64,9 @@ custom_data:
         pconfig:
             id: 'rid'
         headers:
-            'Replicate RID:'
-            'Experiment RID:'
-            'Study RID:'
+            Replicate RID
+            Experiment RID
+            Study RID
     meta:
         file_format: 'tsv'
         section_name: 'Metadata'
@@ -75,15 +75,15 @@ custom_data:
         pconfig:
             id: 'meta'
         headers:
-            'Source:'
-            'Species:'
-            'Ends:'
-            'Stranded:'
-            'Spike-in:'
-            'Raw Reads:'
-            'Assigned Reads:'
-            'Median Read Length:'
-            'Median TIN:'
+            Source
+            Species
+            Ends
+            Stranded
+            Spike-in
+            Raw-Reads
+            Assigned-Reads
+            Median-Length
+            Median-TIN
 
         file_format: 'tsv'
         section_name: 'TIN'
diff --git a/workflow/rna-seq.nf b/workflow/rna-seq.nf
index f73e4ca57d6bf254590a4fe4f75ad0097ff04819..f0a63c61c22b904284e6f07edf5d5d8a976bafc6 100644
--- a/workflow/rna-seq.nf
+++ b/workflow/rna-seq.nf
@@ -1024,12 +1024,12 @@ process aggrQC {
 
     # make RID table
     echo -e "LOG: creating RID table" >> ${repRID}.aggrQC.log
-    echo -e "Replicate RID:\tExperiment RID:\tStudy RID:" > rid.tsv
+    echo -e "Replicate RID\tExperiment RID\tStudy RID" > rid.tsv
     echo -e "${repRID}\t${expRID}\t${studyRID}" >> rid.tsv
 
     # make metadata table
     echo -e "LOG: creating metadata table" >> ${repRID}.aggrQC.log
-    echo -e "Source\tSpecies:\tEnds:\tStranded:\tSpike-in:\tRaw Reads:\tAssigned Reads:\tMedian Read Length:\tMedian TIN:" > metadata.tsv
+    echo -e "Source\tSpecies\tEnds\tStranded\tSpike-in\tRaw-Reads\tAssigned-Read:\tMedia-Length\tMedian-TIN" > metadata.tsv
     echo -e "Submitter\t${speciesM}\t${endsM}\t${strandedM}\t${spikeM}\t-\t-\t'${readLengthM}'\t-" >> metadata.tsv
     echo -e "Infered\t${speciesI}\t${endsI}\t${strandedI}\t${spikeI}\t-\t-\t-\t-" >> metadata.tsv
     echo -e "Measured\t-\t${endsManual}\t-\t-\t'${rawReadsI}'\t'${assignedReadsI}'\t'${readLengthI}'\t'${tinMedI}'" >> metadata.tsv