diff --git a/pkg/controller/certificatesigningrequests/selfsigned/selfsigned.go b/pkg/controller/certificatesigningrequests/selfsigned/selfsigned.go
index 2c7ecace8..841234806 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/certificatesigningrequests/selfsigned/selfsigned.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/certificatesigningrequests/selfsigned/selfsigned.go
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func NewSelfSigned(ctx *controllerpkg.Context) *SelfSigned {
 // should trigger a retry.
 // CertificateSigningRequests must have the
 // "experimental.cert-manager.io/private-key-secret-name" annotation present to
-// be signed. This annotation must reference a valid Secret containing a CA
+// be signed. This annotation must reference a valid Secret containing a
 // private key for signing.
 func (s *SelfSigned) Sign(ctx context.Context, csr *certificatesv1.CertificateSigningRequest, issuerObj cmapi.GenericIssuer) error {
 	log := logf.FromContext(ctx, "sign")
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ func (s *SelfSigned) Sign(ctx context.Context, csr *certificatesv1.CertificateSi
 	}
 
 	if cmerrors.IsInvalidData(err) {
-		message := fmt.Sprintf("Failed to parse signing CA key from secret %s/%s", resourceNamespace, secretName)
+		message := fmt.Sprintf("Failed to parse signing key from secret %s/%s", resourceNamespace, secretName)
 		log.Error(err, message)
 		s.recorder.Eventf(csr, corev1.EventTypeWarning, "ErrorParsingKey", "%s: %s", message, err)
 		util.CertificateSigningRequestSetFailed(csr, "ErrorParsingKey", message)
diff --git a/pkg/controller/certificatesigningrequests/selfsigned/selfsigned_test.go b/pkg/controller/certificatesigningrequests/selfsigned/selfsigned_test.go
index a4e6b0ef2..b39024a93 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/certificatesigningrequests/selfsigned/selfsigned_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/certificatesigningrequests/selfsigned/selfsigned_test.go
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ func TestProcessItem(t *testing.T) {
 					},
 				},
 				ExpectedEvents: []string{
-					`Warning ErrorParsingKey Failed to parse signing CA key from secret default-unit-test-ns/test-secret: error decoding private key PEM block`,
+					`Warning ErrorParsingKey Failed to parse signing key from secret default-unit-test-ns/test-secret: error decoding private key PEM block`,
 				},
 
 				ExpectedActions: []testpkg.Action{
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ func TestProcessItem(t *testing.T) {
 								Type:               certificatesv1.CertificateFailed,
 								Status:             corev1.ConditionTrue,
 								Reason:             "ErrorParsingKey",
-								Message:            "Failed to parse signing CA key from secret default-unit-test-ns/test-secret",
+								Message:            "Failed to parse signing key from secret default-unit-test-ns/test-secret",
 								LastTransitionTime: metaFixedClockStart,
 								LastUpdateTime:     metaFixedClockStart,
 							}),