diff --git a/tensorflow/core/data/service/dispatcher_impl.cc b/tensorflow/core/data/service/dispatcher_impl.cc
index 398b91b984c..bf48e8e5722 100644
--- a/tensorflow/core/data/service/dispatcher_impl.cc
+++ b/tensorflow/core/data/service/dispatcher_impl.cc
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ Status DataServiceDispatcherImpl::Start() {
   Update update;
   bool end_of_journal = false;
   FileJournalReader reader(Env::Default(), JournalDir(config_.work_dir()));
-  Status s = reader.Read(&update, &end_of_journal);
+  Status s = reader.Read(update, end_of_journal);
   if (errors::IsNotFound(s)) {
     LOG(INFO) << "No journal found. Starting dispatcher from new state.";
   } else if (!s.ok()) {
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ Status DataServiceDispatcherImpl::Start() {
   } else {
     while (!end_of_journal) {
       TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(ApplyWithoutJournaling(update));
-      TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(reader.Read(&update, &end_of_journal));
+      TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(reader.Read(update, end_of_journal));
     }
   }
   // Initialize the journal writer in `Start` so that we fail fast in case it
diff --git a/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal.cc b/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal.cc
index b0ce0876c69..979fc78b7c0 100644
--- a/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal.cc
+++ b/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal.cc
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ Status FileJournalReader::EnsureInitialized() {
   return UpdateFile(DataServiceJournalFile(journal_dir_, 0));
 }
 
-Status FileJournalReader::Read(Update* update, bool* end_of_journal) {
+Status FileJournalReader::Read(Update& update, bool& end_of_journal) {
   TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(EnsureInitialized());
   while (true) {
     tstring record;
@@ -108,20 +108,20 @@ Status FileJournalReader::Read(Update* update, bool* end_of_journal) {
       if (errors::IsNotFound(env_->FileExists(next_journal_file))) {
         VLOG(3) << "Next journal file " << next_journal_file
                 << " does not exist. End of journal reached.";
-        *end_of_journal = true;
+        end_of_journal = true;
         return Status::OK();
       }
       TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(UpdateFile(next_journal_file));
       continue;
     }
     TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(s);
-    if (!update->ParseFromString(record)) {
+    if (!update.ParseFromString(record)) {
       return errors::DataLoss("Failed to parse journal record.");
     }
     if (VLOG_IS_ON(4)) {
-      VLOG(4) << "Read journal entry: " << update->DebugString();
+      VLOG(4) << "Read journal entry: " << update.DebugString();
     }
-    *end_of_journal = false;
+    end_of_journal = false;
     return Status::OK();
   }
 }
diff --git a/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal.h b/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal.h
index 3483497705e..e31830e8c35 100644
--- a/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal.h
+++ b/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal.h
@@ -77,9 +77,9 @@ class FileJournalWriter : public JournalWriter {
 class JournalReader {
  public:
   virtual ~JournalReader() = default;
-  // Reads the next update from the journal. Sets `*end_of_journal=true` if
+  // Reads the next update from the journal. Sets `end_of_journal=true` if
   // there are no more updates left in the journal.
-  virtual Status Read(Update* update, bool* end_of_journal) = 0;
+  virtual Status Read(Update& update, bool& end_of_journal) = 0;
 };
 
 // JournalReader is not thread-safe, requiring external synchronization when
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ class FileJournalReader : public JournalReader {
   FileJournalReader(const FileJournalReader&) = delete;
   FileJournalReader& operator=(const FileJournalReader&) = delete;
 
-  Status Read(Update* update, bool* end_of_journal) override;
+  Status Read(Update& update, bool& end_of_journal) override;
 
  private:
   // Initializes the reader if it is not yet initialized.
diff --git a/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal_test.cc b/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal_test.cc
index 313b216fe76..3f55447cc68 100644
--- a/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal_test.cc
+++ b/tensorflow/core/data/service/journal_test.cc
@@ -28,12 +28,12 @@ namespace data {
 namespace {
 using ::testing::HasSubstr;
 
-bool NewJournalDir(std::string* journal_dir) {
+bool NewJournalDir(std::string& journal_dir) {
   std::string filename = testing::TmpDir();
   if (!Env::Default()->CreateUniqueFileName(&filename, "journal_dir")) {
     return false;
   }
-  *journal_dir = filename;
+  journal_dir = filename;
   return true;
 }
 
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ Status CheckJournalContent(StringPiece journal_dir,
   for (const auto& update : expected) {
     Update result;
     bool end_of_journal = true;
-    TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(reader.Read(&result, &end_of_journal));
+    TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(reader.Read(result, end_of_journal));
     EXPECT_FALSE(end_of_journal);
     // We can't use the testing::EqualsProto matcher because it is not available
     // in OSS.
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ Status CheckJournalContent(StringPiece journal_dir,
   }
   Update result;
   bool end_of_journal = false;
-  TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(reader.Read(&result, &end_of_journal));
+  TF_RETURN_IF_ERROR(reader.Read(result, end_of_journal));
   EXPECT_TRUE(end_of_journal);
   return Status::OK();
 }
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ Status CheckJournalContent(StringPiece journal_dir,
 
 TEST(Journal, RoundTripMultiple) {
   std::string journal_dir;
-  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(&journal_dir));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(journal_dir));
   std::vector<Update> updates = {MakeCreateJobUpdate(),
                                  MakeRegisterDatasetUpdate(),
                                  MakeFinishTaskUpdate()};
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ TEST(Journal, RoundTripMultiple) {
 
 TEST(Journal, AppendExistingJournal) {
   std::string journal_dir;
-  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(&journal_dir));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(journal_dir));
   std::vector<Update> updates = {MakeCreateJobUpdate(),
                                  MakeRegisterDatasetUpdate(),
                                  MakeFinishTaskUpdate()};
@@ -111,17 +111,17 @@ TEST(Journal, AppendExistingJournal) {
 
 TEST(Journal, MissingFile) {
   std::string journal_dir;
-  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(&journal_dir));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(journal_dir));
   FileJournalReader reader(Env::Default(), journal_dir);
   Update result;
   bool end_of_journal = true;
-  Status s = reader.Read(&result, &end_of_journal);
+  Status s = reader.Read(result, end_of_journal);
   EXPECT_TRUE(errors::IsNotFound(s));
 }
 
 TEST(Journal, NonRecordData) {
   std::string journal_dir;
-  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(&journal_dir));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(journal_dir));
 
   TF_ASSERT_OK(Env::Default()->RecursivelyCreateDir(journal_dir));
   {
@@ -134,14 +134,14 @@ TEST(Journal, NonRecordData) {
   FileJournalReader reader(Env::Default(), journal_dir);
   Update result;
   bool end_of_journal = true;
-  Status s = reader.Read(&result, &end_of_journal);
+  Status s = reader.Read(result, end_of_journal);
   EXPECT_THAT(s.error_message(), HasSubstr("corrupted record"));
   EXPECT_EQ(s.code(), error::DATA_LOSS);
 }
 
 TEST(Journal, InvalidRecordData) {
   std::string journal_dir;
-  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(&journal_dir));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(NewJournalDir(journal_dir));
 
   TF_ASSERT_OK(Env::Default()->RecursivelyCreateDir(journal_dir));
   {
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ TEST(Journal, InvalidRecordData) {
   FileJournalReader reader(Env::Default(), journal_dir);
   Update result;
   bool end_of_journal = true;
-  Status s = reader.Read(&result, &end_of_journal);
+  Status s = reader.Read(result, end_of_journal);
   EXPECT_THAT(s.error_message(), HasSubstr("Failed to parse journal record"));
   EXPECT_EQ(s.code(), error::DATA_LOSS);
 }