diff --git a/docs/_errormessages/jpa-direct-reference-instead-of-getter.md b/docs/_errormessages/jpa-direct-reference-instead-of-getter.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7d586837d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/_errormessages/jpa-direct-reference-instead-of-getter.md
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+---
+title: "JPA Entity: direct reference to field ... used in equals instead of getter"
+---
+For fields with a mapping annotation like `@OneToMany`, `@ManyToOne` or `@ManyToMany`, you might run into this error:
+
+    JPA Entity: direct reference to field employee used in equals
+      instead of getter getEmployee.
+
+This error occurs when the field is used directly in `equals` or `hashCode`:
+
+{% highlight java %}
+@ManyToOne
+private Employee employee;
+
+public boolean equals(Object other) {
+    // ...
+    return Objects.equals(employee, that.employee);
+}
+{% endhighlight %}
+
+This is problematic, because the field `employee` might not be materialized yet. In other words, JPA may not have queried the `employee` yet and the reference could still be null. This might lead to incorrect results when calling `equals` or `hashCode`. JPA will materialize the field when the getter is called, but not when the field is referenced directly. Therefore, the field should always be referenced through its getter, in `equals` and `hashCode`:
+
+{% highlight java %}
+public boolean equals(Object other) {
+    // ...
+    return Objects.equals(getEmployee(), that.getEmployee());
+}
+
+public int hashCode() {
+    return Objects.hash(getEmployee());
+}
+{% endhighlight %}
+
+If you have a reason, you can disable this check by suppressing `Warning.JPA_GETTER`. Also, EqualsVerifier assumes you use the JavaBeans convention to name your fields and getters. If you use a different convention, you can use `#withFieldnameToGetterConverter()` to override that.
+
+See the [manual page about JPA entities](/equalsverifier/manual/jpa-entities), specifically the section on Materialized fields, for more details.
diff --git a/docs/_pages/errormessages.md b/docs/_pages/errormessages.md
index fb24e32cb..e417e9802 100644
--- a/docs/_pages/errormessages.md
+++ b/docs/_pages/errormessages.md
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ This is not a complete list. I'll add to it as needed, so if you need help with
 * [Coverage is not 100%](/equalsverifier/errormessages/coverage-is-not-100-percent)
 * [Double: equals doesn't use Double.compare for field foo](/equalsverifier/errormessages/double-equals-doesnt-use-doublecompare-for-field-foo)
 * [Float: equals doesn't use Float.compare for field foo](/equalsverifier/errormessages/float-equals-doesnt-use-floatcompare-for-field-foo)
+* [JPA Entity: direct reference to field ... used instead of getter](/equalsverifier/errormessages/jpa-direct-reference-instead-of-getter)
 * [Mutability: equals depends on mutable field](/equalsverifier/errormessages/mutability-equals-depends-on-mutable-field)
 * [NoClassDefFoundError](/equalsverifier/errormessages/noclassdeffounderror)
 * [Non-nullity: equals/hashCode/toString throws NullPointerException](/equalsverifier/errormessages/non-nullity-equals-hashcode-tostring-throws-nullpointerexception)