diff --git a/src/linkahead/apiutils.py b/src/linkahead/apiutils.py
index f10d8f0ac37d8883d23aada8f6244d4f9bc5772f..27d90015297382a9c9f5724cdc0ff9406c52b4d1 100644
--- a/src/linkahead/apiutils.py
+++ b/src/linkahead/apiutils.py
@@ -447,28 +447,46 @@ def compare_entities(entity0: Optional[Entity] = None,
     return diff
 
 
-def empty_diff(old_entity: Entity, new_entity: Entity,
+def empty_diff(entity0: Entity, 
+               entity1: Entity,
                compare_referenced_records: bool = False,
-               entity_name_id_equivalency: bool = False) -> bool:
+               entity_name_id_equivalency: bool = False,
+               old_entity: Optional[Entity] = None,
+               new_entity: Optional[Entity] = None,
+               ) -> bool:
     """Check whether the `compare_entities` found any differences between
-    old_entity and new_entity.
+    entity0 and entity1.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
-    old_entity, new_entity : Entity
+    entity0, entity1 : Entity
         Entities to be compared
     compare_referenced_records : bool, optional
-        Whether to compare referenced records in case of both, `old_entity` and
-        `new_entity`, have the same reference properties and both have a Record
+        Whether to compare referenced records in case of both, `entity0` and
+        `entity1`, have the same reference properties and both have a Record
         object as value.
     entity_name_id_equivalency : bool, optional
         If set to True, the comparison between an entity and an int or str also
         checks whether the int/str matches the name or id of the entity, so
         Entity(id=100) == 100 == "100".
     """
-    olddiff, newdiff = compare_entities(old_entity, new_entity,
-                                        compare_referenced_records, entity_name_id_equivalency)
-    for diff in [olddiff, newdiff]:
+    if entity0 is None and old_entity is None:
+        raise ValueError("Please provide the first entity as first argument (`entity0`)")
+    if entity1 is None and new_entity is None:
+        raise ValueError("Please provide the second entity as second argument (`entity1`)")
+    if old_entity is not None:
+        warnings.warn("Please use 'entity0' instead of 'old_entity'.", DeprecationWarning)
+        if entity0 is not None:
+            raise ValueError("You cannot use both entity0 and old_entity")
+        entity0 = old_entity
+    if new_entity is not None:
+        warnings.warn("Please use 'entity1' instead of 'new_entity'.", DeprecationWarning)
+        if entity1 is not None:
+            raise ValueError("You cannot use both entity1 and new_entity")
+        entity1 = new_entity
+    e0diff, e1diff = compare_entities(entity0, entity1, compare_referenced_records, 
+                                      entity_name_id_equivalency)
+    for diff in [e0diff, e1diff]:
         for key in ["parents", "properties"]:
             if len(diff[key]) > 0:
                 # There is a difference somewhere in the diff
@@ -641,11 +659,11 @@ def describe_diff(entity0_diff: dict[str, Any], entity1_diff: dict[str, Any],
 
     entity0_diff: dict[str, Any]
       First element of the tuple output of :func:`compare_entities`.
-      This is referred to as the "old" version.
+      This is referred to as the "first" version.
 
     entity1_diff: dict[str, Any]
       Second element of the tuple output of :func:`compare_entities`.
-      This is referred to as the "new" version.
+      This is referred to as the "second" version.
 
 
     name: Optional[str]
@@ -655,10 +673,10 @@ def describe_diff(entity0_diff: dict[str, Any], entity1_diff: dict[str, Any],
       Default None. Not used anymore.
 
     label_e0: str
-      Can be used to set a custom label for the diff that is associated with the old entity.
+      Can be used to set a custom label for the diff that is associated with the first entity.
 
     label_e1: str
-      Can be used to set a custom label for the diff that is associated with the new entity.
+      Can be used to set a custom label for the diff that is associated with the second entity.
 
     Returns:
     --------