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 c813de329b0..66172fabd17 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
@@ -96,8 +96,8 @@ 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' }),
   });
@@ -152,9 +152,8 @@ 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 c65f16cfd5f..e9c33d8da63 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
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ export class BrowseByDateComponent extends BrowseByMetadataComponent implements
         })).subscribe(({ params, scope, currentPage, currentSort }) => {
         const metadataKeys = params.browseDefinition ? params.browseDefinition.metadataKeys : this.defaultMetadataKeys;
         this.startsWith = +params.startsWith || params.startsWith;
-        this.browseId = params.id || this.defaultBrowseId;
+        this.browseId = params.id;
         const searchOptions = browseParamsToOptions(params, scope, currentPage, currentSort, this.browseId, this.fetchThumbnails);
         this.updatePageWithItems(searchOptions, this.value, undefined);
         this.updateStartsWithOptions(this.browseId, metadataKeys, params.scope);
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 00e95a82d33..631d1c70132 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
@@ -124,8 +124,8 @@ 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 f88f8a374cb..a5fcebb4891 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
@@ -137,15 +137,10 @@ export class BrowseByMetadataComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges, OnDestroy {
    */
   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
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 e5580e9799f..74f3ff4b94f 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
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ 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' }),
   });