diff --git a/src/app/core/cache/object-cache.service.ts b/src/app/core/cache/object-cache.service.ts
index 384df23c22..b4c37df736 100644
--- a/src/app/core/cache/object-cache.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/cache/object-cache.service.ts
@@ -65,18 +65,10 @@ export class ObjectCacheService {
   /**
    * Get an observable of the object with the specified UUID
    *
-   * The type needs to be specified as well, in order to turn
-   * the cached plain javascript object in to an instance of
-   * a class.
-   *
-   * e.g. getByUUID('c96588c6-72d3-425d-9d47-fa896255a695', Item)
-   *
    * @param uuid
    *    The UUID of the object to get
-   * @param type
-   *    The type of the object to get
-   * @return Observable<T>
-   *    An observable of the requested object
+   * @return Observable<NormalizedObject<T>>
+   *    An observable of the requested object in normalized form
    */
   getObjectByUUID<T extends CacheableObject>(uuid: string): Observable<NormalizedObject<T>> {
     return this.store.pipe(
@@ -86,6 +78,14 @@ export class ObjectCacheService {
     )
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Get an observable of the object with the specified selfLink
+   *
+   * @param selfLink
+   *    The selfLink of the object to get
+   * @return Observable<NormalizedObject<T>>
+   *    An observable of the requested object in normalized form
+   */
   getObjectBySelfLink<T extends CacheableObject>(selfLink: string): Observable<NormalizedObject<T>> {
     return this.getBySelfLink(selfLink).pipe(
       map((entry: ObjectCacheEntry) => {
@@ -105,6 +105,14 @@ export class ObjectCacheService {
     );
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Get an observable of the object cache entry with the specified selfLink
+   *
+   * @param selfLink
+   *    The selfLink of the object to get
+   * @return Observable<ObjectCacheEntry>
+   *    An observable of the requested object cache entry
+   */
   getBySelfLink(selfLink: string): Observable<ObjectCacheEntry> {
     return this.store.pipe(
       select(entryFromSelfLinkSelector(selfLink)),
@@ -113,12 +121,28 @@ export class ObjectCacheService {
     );
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Get an observable of the request's uuid with the specified selfLink
+   *
+   * @param selfLink
+   *    The selfLink of the object to get
+   * @return Observable<string>
+   *    An observable of the request's uuid
+   */
   getRequestUUIDBySelfLink(selfLink: string): Observable<string> {
     return this.getBySelfLink(selfLink).pipe(
       map((entry: ObjectCacheEntry) => entry.requestUUID),
       distinctUntilChanged());
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Get an observable of the request's uuid with the specified uuid
+   *
+   * @param uuid
+   *    The uuid of the object to get
+   * @return Observable<string>
+   *    An observable of the request's uuid
+   */
   getRequestUUIDByObjectUUID(uuid: string): Observable<string> {
     return this.store.pipe(
       select(selfLinkFromUuidSelector(uuid)),
diff --git a/src/app/core/data/request.models.ts b/src/app/core/data/request.models.ts
index 951dbacff6..11ead7b53c 100644
--- a/src/app/core/data/request.models.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/data/request.models.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ export abstract class RestRequest {
 }
 
 export class GetRequest extends RestRequest {
-  public responseMsToLive = 60 * 15 * 1000;
+  public responseMsToLive = 10000;
 
   constructor(
     public uuid: string,
diff --git a/src/app/core/data/request.service.spec.ts b/src/app/core/data/request.service.spec.ts
index 1ff55f9871..b3d9436d30 100644
--- a/src/app/core/data/request.service.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/data/request.service.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { cold, getTestScheduler, hot } from 'jasmine-marbles';
-import { of as observableOf } from 'rxjs';
+import { of as observableOf, EMPTY } from 'rxjs';
 import { getMockObjectCacheService } from '../../shared/mocks/mock-object-cache.service';
 import { defaultUUID, getMockUUIDService } from '../../shared/mocks/mock-uuid.service';
 import { ObjectCacheService } from '../cache/object-cache.service';
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { CoreState } from '../core.reducers';
 import { UUIDService } from '../shared/uuid.service';
 import { RequestConfigureAction, RequestExecuteAction } from './request.actions';
 import * as ngrx from '@ngrx/store';
+import { ActionsSubject, Store } from '@ngrx/store';
 import {
   DeleteRequest,
   GetRequest,
@@ -18,11 +19,8 @@ import {
   RestRequest
 } from './request.models';
 import { RequestService } from './request.service';
-import { ActionsSubject, Store } from '@ngrx/store';
 import { TestScheduler } from 'rxjs/testing';
 import { BehaviorSubject } from 'rxjs/internal/BehaviorSubject';
-import { MockStore } from '../../shared/testing/mock-store';
-import { IndexState } from '../index/index.reducer';
 
 describe('RequestService', () => {
   let scheduler: TestScheduler;
@@ -431,7 +429,7 @@ describe('RequestService', () => {
 
     describe('when the given entry has a value, but the request is not completed', () => {
       let valid;
-      const requestEntry = { completed: false } ;
+      const requestEntry = { completed: false };
       beforeEach(() => {
         spyOn(service, 'getByUUID').and.returnValue(observableOf(requestEntry));
         valid = serviceAsAny.isValid(requestEntry);
@@ -503,8 +501,42 @@ describe('RequestService', () => {
       });
 
       it('return an observable emitting true', () => {
-       expect(valid).toBe(true);
+        expect(valid).toBe(true);
       })
     })
-  })
+  });
+
+  describe('hasByHref', () => {
+    describe('when nothing is returned by getByHref', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        spyOn(service, 'getByHref').and.returnValue(EMPTY);
+      });
+      it('hasByHref should return false', () => {
+        const result = service.hasByHref('');
+        expect(result).toBe(false);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('when isValid returns false', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        spyOn(service, 'getByHref').and.returnValue(observableOf(undefined));
+        spyOn(service as any, 'isValid').and.returnValue(false);
+      });
+      it('hasByHref should return false', () => {
+        const result = service.hasByHref('');
+        expect(result).toBe(false);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('when isValid returns true', () => {
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        spyOn(service, 'getByHref').and.returnValue(observableOf(undefined));
+        spyOn(service as any, 'isValid').and.returnValue(true);
+      });
+      it('hasByHref should return true', () => {
+        const result = service.hasByHref('');
+        expect(result).toBe(true);
+      });
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/app/core/data/request.service.ts b/src/app/core/data/request.service.ts
index 4fd7b84196..f129f8becd 100644
--- a/src/app/core/data/request.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/data/request.service.ts
@@ -80,6 +80,9 @@ export class RequestService {
     return `client/${this.uuidService.generate()}`;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Check if a request is currently pending
+   */
   isPending(request: GetRequest): boolean {
     // first check requests that haven't made it to the store yet
     if (this.requestsOnTheirWayToTheStore.includes(request.href)) {
@@ -96,6 +99,9 @@ export class RequestService {
     return isPending;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Retrieve a RequestEntry based on their uuid
+   */
   getByUUID(uuid: string): Observable<RequestEntry> {
     return observableRace(
       this.store.pipe(select(this.entryFromUUIDSelector(uuid))),
@@ -108,6 +114,9 @@ export class RequestService {
     );
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Retrieve a RequestEntry based on their href
+   */
   getByHref(href: string): Observable<RequestEntry> {
     return this.store.pipe(
       select(this.uuidFromHrefSelector(href)),
@@ -247,7 +256,6 @@ export class RequestService {
     this.getByHref(href).pipe(
       take(1)
     ).subscribe((requestEntry: RequestEntry) => result = this.isValid(requestEntry));
-
     return result;
   }