diff --git a/src/IO/ADIOS/ADIOS1IOHandler.cpp b/src/IO/ADIOS/ADIOS1IOHandler.cpp
index a1131f091c..865b28a924 100644
--- a/src/IO/ADIOS/ADIOS1IOHandler.cpp
+++ b/src/IO/ADIOS/ADIOS1IOHandler.cpp
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ namespace openPMD
 {
 #if openPMD_HAVE_ADIOS1
 #   if openPMD_USE_VERIFY
-#       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) { if(!(CONDITION)) throw std::runtime_error(std::string((TEXT))); }
+#       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) { if(!(CONDITION)) throw std::runtime_error((TEXT)); }
 #   else
 #       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) do{ (void)sizeof(CONDITION); } while( 0 )
 #   endif
diff --git a/src/IO/ADIOS/ParallelADIOS1IOHandler.cpp b/src/IO/ADIOS/ParallelADIOS1IOHandler.cpp
index 41e7a25a1a..031cc6c070 100644
--- a/src/IO/ADIOS/ParallelADIOS1IOHandler.cpp
+++ b/src/IO/ADIOS/ParallelADIOS1IOHandler.cpp
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ namespace openPMD
 {
 #if openPMD_HAVE_ADIOS1 && openPMD_HAVE_MPI
 #   if openPMD_USE_VERIFY
-#       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) { if(!(CONDITION)) throw std::runtime_error(std::string((TEXT))); }
+#       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) { if(!(CONDITION)) throw std::runtime_error((TEXT)); }
 #   else
 #       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) do{ (void)sizeof(CONDITION); } while( 0 )
 #   endif
@@ -52,32 +52,30 @@ ParallelADIOS1IOHandlerImpl::ParallelADIOS1IOHandlerImpl(AbstractIOHandler* hand
 
 ParallelADIOS1IOHandlerImpl::~ParallelADIOS1IOHandlerImpl()
 {
-    /* create all files where ADIOS file creation has been deferred,
-     * but execution of the deferred operation has never been triggered
-     * (happens when no Operation::WRITE_DATASET is performed) */
-    for( auto& f : m_existsOnDisk )
-    {
-        if( !f.second )
-        {
-            int64_t fd;
-            int status;
-            status = adios_open(&fd,
-                                f.first->c_str(),
-                                f.first->c_str(),
-                                "w",
-                                m_mpiComm);
-            if( status != err_no_error )
-                std::cerr << "Internal error: Failed to open_flush ADIOS file\n";
-
-            m_openWriteFileHandles[f.first] = fd;
-        }
-    }
-
     for( auto& f : m_openReadFileHandles )
         close(f.second);
+    m_openReadFileHandles.clear();
 
-    for( auto& f : m_openWriteFileHandles )
-        close(f.second);
+    if( this->m_handler->accessType != AccessType::READ_ONLY )
+    {
+        for( auto& f : m_openWriteFileHandles )
+            close(f.second);
+        m_openWriteFileHandles.clear();
+
+        for( auto& group : m_attributeWrites )
+            for( auto& att : group.second )
+                flush_attribute(group.first, att.first, att.second);
+
+        /* create all files, even if ADIOS file creation has been deferred,
+         * but execution of the deferred operation has never been triggered
+         * (happens when no Operation::WRITE_DATASET is performed) */
+        for( auto& f : m_filePaths )
+            if( m_openWriteFileHandles.find(f.second) == m_openWriteFileHandles.end() )
+                m_openWriteFileHandles[f.second] = open_write(f.first);
+
+        for( auto& f : m_openWriteFileHandles )
+            close(f.second);
+    }
 
     int status;
     MPI_Barrier(m_mpiComm);
diff --git a/src/IO/HDF5/HDF5IOHandler.cpp b/src/IO/HDF5/HDF5IOHandler.cpp
index b8b6f76cc7..1ee85cdd92 100644
--- a/src/IO/HDF5/HDF5IOHandler.cpp
+++ b/src/IO/HDF5/HDF5IOHandler.cpp
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ namespace openPMD
 {
 #if openPMD_HAVE_HDF5
 #   if openPMD_USE_VERIFY
-#       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) { if(!(CONDITION)) throw std::runtime_error(std::string((TEXT))); }
+#       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) { if(!(CONDITION)) throw std::runtime_error((TEXT)); }
 #   else
 #       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) do{ (void)sizeof(CONDITION); } while( 0 )
 #   endif
diff --git a/src/IO/HDF5/ParallelHDF5IOHandler.cpp b/src/IO/HDF5/ParallelHDF5IOHandler.cpp
index 1bd1e70298..3ea27f60b6 100644
--- a/src/IO/HDF5/ParallelHDF5IOHandler.cpp
+++ b/src/IO/HDF5/ParallelHDF5IOHandler.cpp
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ namespace openPMD
 {
 #if openPMD_HAVE_HDF5 && openPMD_HAVE_MPI
 #   if openPMD_USE_VERIFY
-#       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) { if(!(CONDITION)) throw std::runtime_error(std::string((TEXT))); }
+#       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) { if(!(CONDITION)) throw std::runtime_error((TEXT)); }
 #   else
 #       define VERIFY(CONDITION, TEXT) do{ (void)sizeof(CONDITION); } while( 0 )
 #   endif
diff --git a/test/CoreTest.cpp b/test/CoreTest.cpp
index f159b6e5a6..d38f3d1069 100644
--- a/test/CoreTest.cpp
+++ b/test/CoreTest.cpp
@@ -607,3 +607,14 @@ TEST_CASE( "use_count_test", "[core]" )
     REQUIRE(static_cast< Parameter< Operation::WRITE_DATASET >* >(pprc.m_chunks->front().parameter.get())->data.use_count() == 1);
 #endif
 }
+
+TEST_CASE( "empty_record_test", "[core]" )
+{
+    Series o = Series("./new_openpmd_output", AccessType::CREATE);
+
+    o.iterations[1].meshes["E"].setComment("No assumption about contained RecordComponents will be made");
+    REQUIRE_THROWS_WITH(o.flush(),
+                        Catch::Equals("A Record can not be written without any contained RecordComponents: E"));
+    o.iterations[1].meshes["E"][RecordComponent::SCALAR].resetDataset(Dataset(Datatype::DOUBLE, {1}));
+    o.flush();
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/SerialIOTest.cpp b/test/SerialIOTest.cpp
index 6c694854d0..333719c3a1 100644
--- a/test/SerialIOTest.cpp
+++ b/test/SerialIOTest.cpp
@@ -953,13 +953,6 @@ TEST_CASE( "hdf5_write_test", "[serial][hdf5]" )
     std::generate(position_global.begin(), position_global.end(), [&pos]{ return pos++; });
     std::vector< double > position_local = {0.};
     e["position"]["x"].resetDataset(Dataset(determineDatatype<double>(), {4}));
-
-    for( uint64_t i = 0; i < 4; ++i )
-    {
-        position_local.at(0) = position_global[i];
-        e["position"]["x"].storeChunk({i}, {1}, shareRaw(position_local));
-    }
-
     std::vector< uint64_t > positionOffset_global(4);
     uint64_t posOff{0};
     std::generate(positionOffset_global.begin(), positionOffset_global.end(), [&posOff]{ return posOff++; });
@@ -968,12 +961,13 @@ TEST_CASE( "hdf5_write_test", "[serial][hdf5]" )
 
     for( uint64_t i = 0; i < 4; ++i )
     {
+        position_local.at(0) = position_global[i];
+        e["position"]["x"].storeChunk({i}, {1}, shareRaw(position_local));
         positionOffset_local[0] = positionOffset_global[i];
         e["positionOffset"]["x"].storeChunk({i}, {1}, shareRaw(positionOffset_local));
+        o.flush();
     }
 
-    o.flush();
-
     //TODO close file, read back, verify
 }