diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.spec.ts
index 611ac7e23f0..a40ffde2263 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.spec.ts
@@ -95,8 +95,8 @@ describe('BrowseByDateComponent', () => {
     findById: () => createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(mockCommunity),
   };
 
-  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub(), {
-    params: of({}),
+  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub({ id: 'dateissued' }), {
+    params: of({ id: 'dateissued' }),
     queryParams: of({}),
     data: of({ metadata: 'dateissued', metadataField: 'dc.date.issued' }),
   });
@@ -151,9 +151,8 @@ describe('BrowseByDateComponent', () => {
     fixture = TestBed.createComponent(BrowseByDateComponent);
     const browseService = fixture.debugElement.injector.get(BrowseService);
     spyOn(browseService, 'getFirstItemFor')
-      // ok to expect the default browse as first param since we just need the mock items obtained via sort direction.
-      .withArgs('author', undefined, SortDirection.ASC).and.returnValue(createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(firstItem))
-      .withArgs('author', undefined, SortDirection.DESC).and.returnValue(createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(lastItem));
+      .withArgs('dateissued', undefined, SortDirection.ASC).and.returnValue(createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(firstItem))
+      .withArgs('dateissued', undefined, SortDirection.DESC).and.returnValue(createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(lastItem));
     comp = fixture.componentInstance;
     route = (comp as any).route;
     fixture.detectChanges();
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.ts
index 3cd3daa752f..0e11c765156 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-date/browse-by-date.component.ts
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ export class BrowseByDateComponent extends BrowseByMetadataComponent implements
         this.currentSort$,
       ]).subscribe(([params, scope, currentPage, currentSort]: [Params, string, PaginationComponentOptions, SortOptions]) => {
         const metadataKeys = params.browseDefinition ? params.browseDefinition.metadataKeys : this.defaultMetadataKeys;
-        this.browseId = params.id || this.defaultBrowseId;
+        this.browseId = params.id;
         this.startsWith = +params.startsWith || params.startsWith;
         const searchOptions = browseParamsToOptions(params, scope, currentPage, currentSort, this.browseId, this.fetchThumbnails);
         this.updatePageWithItems(searchOptions, this.value, undefined);
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.spec.ts
index fc892c67e7e..46df8b1c0c3 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.spec.ts
@@ -123,8 +123,8 @@ describe('BrowseByMetadataComponent', () => {
     findById: () => createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(mockCommunity),
   };
 
-  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub(), {
-    params: of({}),
+  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub({ id: 'author' }), {
+    params: of({ id: 'author' }),
   });
 
   paginationService = new PaginationServiceStub();
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.ts
index 006a0971e83..6f627b2da37 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-metadata/browse-by-metadata.component.ts
@@ -137,16 +137,10 @@ export class BrowseByMetadataComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, OnDestroy {
    * List of subscriptions
    */
   subs: Subscription[] = [];
-
-  /**
-   * The default browse id to resort to when none is provided
-   */
-  defaultBrowseId = 'author';
-
   /**
    * The current browse id
    */
-  browseId = this.defaultBrowseId;
+  browseId: string;
 
   /**
    * The type of StartsWith options to render
@@ -232,7 +226,7 @@ export class BrowseByMetadataComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, OnDestroy {
         this.currentPagination$,
         this.currentSort$,
       ]).subscribe(([params, scope, currentPage, currentSort]: [Params, string, PaginationComponentOptions, SortOptions]) => {
-        this.browseId = params.id || this.defaultBrowseId;
+        this.browseId = params.id;
         this.authority = params.authority;
 
         if (typeof params.value === 'string') {
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.spec.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.spec.ts
index f60a142ade9..dbcb70f5176 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.spec.ts
@@ -82,8 +82,8 @@ describe('BrowseByTitleComponent', () => {
     findById: () => createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(mockCommunity),
   };
 
-  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub(), {
-    params: of({}),
+  const activatedRouteStub = Object.assign(new ActivatedRouteStub({ id: 'title' }), {
+    params: of({ id: 'title' }),
     queryParams: of({}),
     data: of({ metadata: 'title' }),
   });
diff --git a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.ts b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.ts
index 1563b851c2f..cddc98d385f 100644
--- a/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/browse-by/browse-by-title/browse-by-title.component.ts
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ export class BrowseByTitleComponent extends BrowseByMetadataComponent implements
         this.currentSort$,
       ]).subscribe(([params, scope, currentPage, currentSort]: [Params, string, PaginationComponentOptions, SortOptions]) => {
         this.startsWith = +params.startsWith || params.startsWith;
-        this.browseId = params.id || this.defaultBrowseId;
+        this.browseId = params.id;
         this.updatePageWithItems(browseParamsToOptions(params, scope, currentPage, currentSort, this.browseId, this.fetchThumbnails), undefined, undefined);
       }));
     this.updateStartsWithTextOptions();