diff --git a/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.spec.ts b/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.spec.ts
index 18b9090844..5cb2fb459e 100644
--- a/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.spec.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ import { HttpClientTestingModule, HttpTestingController } from '@angular/common/
 
 import { DSpaceRESTv2Service } from './dspace-rest-v2.service';
 import { DSpaceObject } from '../shared/dspace-object.model';
+import { RestRequestMethod } from '../data/rest-request-method';
+import { HttpHeaders } from '@angular/common/http';
 
 describe('DSpaceRESTv2Service', () => {
   let dSpaceRESTv2Service: DSpaceRESTv2Service;
@@ -47,29 +49,71 @@ describe('DSpaceRESTv2Service', () => {
 
       const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
       expect(req.request.method).toBe('GET');
-      req.flush(mockPayload, { status: mockStatusCode, statusText: mockStatusText});
+      req.flush(mockPayload, { status: mockStatusCode, statusText: mockStatusText });
+    });
+    it('should throw an error', () => {
+      dSpaceRESTv2Service.get(url).subscribe(() => undefined, (err) => {
+        expect(err).toEqual(mockError);
+      });
+      const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+      expect(req.request.method).toBe('GET');
+      req.error(mockError);
+    });
+
+    it('should log an error', () => {
+      spyOn(console, 'log');
+
+      dSpaceRESTv2Service.get(url).subscribe(() => undefined, (err) => {
+        expect(console.log).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      });
+
+      const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+      expect(req.request.method).toBe('GET');
+      req.error(mockError);
+    });
+
+    it('when no content-type header is provided, it should use application/json', () => {
+      dSpaceRESTv2Service.request(RestRequestMethod.POST, url, {}).subscribe();
+
+      const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+      expect(req.request.headers.get('Content-Type')).toContain('application/json; charset=utf-8');
     });
   });
 
-  it('should throw an error', () => {
-    dSpaceRESTv2Service.get(url).subscribe(() => undefined, (err) => {
-      expect(err).toEqual(mockError);
-    });
-    const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
-    expect(req.request.method).toBe('GET');
-    req.error(mockError);
-  });
+  describe('#request', () => {
+    it('should return an Observable<DSpaceRESTV2Response>', () => {
+      const mockPayload = {
+        page: 1
+      };
+      const mockStatusCode = 200;
+      const mockStatusText = 'GREAT';
 
-  it('should log an error', () => {
-    spyOn(console, 'log');
+      dSpaceRESTv2Service.request(RestRequestMethod.POST, url, {}).subscribe((response) => {
+        expect(response).toBeTruthy();
+        expect(response.statusCode).toEqual(mockStatusCode);
+        expect(response.statusText).toEqual(mockStatusText);
+        expect(response.payload.page).toEqual(mockPayload.page);
+      });
 
-    dSpaceRESTv2Service.get(url).subscribe(() => undefined, (err) => {
-      expect(console.log).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+      expect(req.request.method).toBe('POST');
+      req.flush(mockPayload, { status: mockStatusCode, statusText: mockStatusText });
     });
 
-    const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
-    expect(req.request.method).toBe('GET');
-    req.error(mockError);
+    it('when a content-type header is provided, it should not use application/json', () => {
+      const headers = new HttpHeaders({'Content-Type': 'text/html'});
+      dSpaceRESTv2Service.request(RestRequestMethod.POST, url, {}, { headers }).subscribe();
+
+      const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+      expect(req.request.headers.get('Content-Type')).not.toContain('application/json; charset=utf-8');
+    });
+
+    it('when no content-type header is provided, it should use application/json', () => {
+      dSpaceRESTv2Service.request(RestRequestMethod.POST, url, {}).subscribe();
+
+      const req = httpMock.expectOne(url);
+      expect(req.request.headers.get('Content-Type')).toContain('application/json; charset=utf-8');
+    });
   });
 
   describe('buildFormData', () => {
diff --git a/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.ts b/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.ts
index a2a9f2530c..1d72f5e4fe 100644
--- a/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/dspace-rest-v2/dspace-rest-v2.service.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-import {throwError as observableThrowError,  Observable } from 'rxjs';
-import {catchError, map} from 'rxjs/operators';
+import { Observable, throwError as observableThrowError } from 'rxjs';
+import { catchError, map } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
 import { HttpClient, HttpHeaders, HttpParams, HttpResponse } from '@angular/common/http'
 
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { HttpObserve } from '@angular/common/http/src/client';
 import { RestRequestMethod } from '../data/rest-request-method';
 import { isNotEmpty } from '../../shared/empty.util';
 import { DSpaceObject } from '../shared/dspace-object.model';
+import { cloneDeep } from 'lodash';
 
 export interface HttpOptions {
   body?: any;
@@ -38,11 +39,23 @@ export class DSpaceRESTv2Service {
    *      An Observable<string> containing the response from the server
    */
   get(absoluteURL: string): Observable<DSpaceRESTV2Response> {
-    return this.http.get(absoluteURL, { observe: 'response' }).pipe(
-      map((res: HttpResponse<any>) => ({ payload: res.body, statusCode: res.status, statusText: res.statusText })),
+    const requestOptions = {
+      observe: 'response' as any,
+      headers: new HttpHeaders({ 'Content-Type': 'application/json; charset=utf-8' })
+    };
+    return this.http.get(absoluteURL, requestOptions).pipe(
+      map((res: HttpResponse<any>) => ({
+        payload: res.body,
+        statusCode: res.status,
+        statusText: res.statusText
+      })),
       catchError((err) => {
         console.log('Error: ', err);
-        return observableThrowError({statusCode: err.status, statusText: err.statusText, message: err.message});
+        return observableThrowError({
+          statusCode: err.status,
+          statusText: err.statusText,
+          message: err.message
+        });
       }));
   }
 
@@ -65,17 +78,45 @@ export class DSpaceRESTv2Service {
       requestOptions.body = this.buildFormData(body);
     }
     requestOptions.observe = 'response';
-    if (options && options.headers) {
-      requestOptions.headers = Object.assign(new HttpHeaders(),  options.headers);
-    }
+
     if (options && options.responseType) {
       requestOptions.responseType = options.responseType;
     }
+    // WORKING OPTION
+    // requestOptions.headers = ((options && options.headers) || new HttpHeaders()).set('blaat', 'bla').delete('blaat');
+
+    // OPTION 1
+    // requestOptions.headers = ((options && options.headers) || new HttpHeaders());
+
+    // OPTION 2
+    // requestOptions.headers = new HttpHeaders();
+    // if (options && options.headers) {
+    //   options.headers.keys().forEach((key) => {
+    //     options.headers.getAll(key).forEach((header) => {
+    //       // Because HttpHeaders is immutable, the set method returns a new object instead of updating the existing headers
+    //       requestOptions.headers = requestOptions.headers.set(key, header);
+    //     })
+    //   });
+    // }
+    //
+    // if (!requestOptions.headers.has('Content-Type')) {
+    //   // Because HttpHeaders is immutable, the set method returns a new object instead of updating the existing headers
+    //   requestOptions.headers = requestOptions.headers.set('Content-Type', 'application/json; charset=utf-8');
+    // }
     return this.http.request(method, url, requestOptions).pipe(
-      map((res) => ({ payload: res.body, headers: res.headers, statusCode: res.status, statusText: res.statusText })),
+      map((res) => ({
+        payload: res.body,
+        headers: res.headers,
+        statusCode: res.status,
+        statusText: res.statusText
+      })),
       catchError((err) => {
         console.log('Error: ', err);
-        return observableThrowError({statusCode: err.status, statusText: err.statusText, message: err.message});
+        return observableThrowError({
+          statusCode: err.status,
+          statusText: err.statusText,
+          message: err.message
+        });
       }));
   }