diff --git a/src/app/+search-page/search-filters/search-filter/search-filter.service.ts b/src/app/+search-page/search-filters/search-filter/search-filter.service.ts
index 9c5e406a78..1ba8182d33 100644
--- a/src/app/+search-page/search-filters/search-filter/search-filter.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/+search-page/search-filters/search-filter/search-filter.service.ts
@@ -79,13 +79,13 @@ export class SearchFilterService {
       this.getCurrentQuery(),
       this.getCurrentFilters(),
       (pagination, sort, view, scope, query, filters) => {
-        return Object.assign(new SearchOptions(),
+        return Object.assign(new PaginatedSearchOptions(),
           defaults,
           {
             pagination: pagination,
             sort: sort,
             view: view,
-            scope: scope,
+            scope: scope || defaults.scope,
             query: query,
             filters: filters
           })
diff --git a/src/app/+search-page/search-page.component.ts b/src/app/+search-page/search-page.component.ts
index 2a903f884a..c9efc65676 100644
--- a/src/app/+search-page/search-page.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/+search-page/search-page.component.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@ export class SearchPageComponent implements OnInit {
       id: 'search-results-pagination',
       pageSize: 10
     },
-    query: ''
+    query: '',
+    scope: ''
   };
 
   constructor(private service: SearchService,
diff --git a/src/app/+search-page/search-service/search.service.ts b/src/app/+search-page/search-service/search.service.ts
index 134ae657a1..42f527a411 100644
--- a/src/app/+search-page/search-service/search.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/+search-page/search-service/search.service.ts
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ export class SearchService implements OnDestroy {
     const requestObs = this.halService.getEndpoint(this.searchLinkPath).pipe(
       map((url: string) => {
         if (hasValue(searchOptions)) {
-          url = searchOptions.toRestUrl(url);
+          url = (searchOptions as PaginatedSearchOptions).toRestUrl(url);
         }
         const request = new GetRequest(this.requestService.generateRequestId(), url);
         return Object.assign(request, {
diff --git a/src/app/shared/pagination/pagination.component.ts b/src/app/shared/pagination/pagination.component.ts
index 2fa70ddd18..6ab0e2a567 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/pagination/pagination.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/pagination/pagination.component.ts
@@ -336,7 +336,8 @@ export class PaginationComponent implements OnDestroy, OnInit {
    */
   private updateRoute(params: {}) {
     this.router.navigate([], {
-      queryParams: Object.assign({}, this.currentQueryParams, params)
+      queryParams: Object.assign({}, this.currentQueryParams, params),
+      queryParamsHandling: 'merge'
     });
   }
 
diff --git a/src/app/shared/search-form/search-form.component.html b/src/app/shared/search-form/search-form.component.html
index a4e8cddc1e..8bca5aabeb 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/search-form/search-form.component.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/search-form/search-form.component.html
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <form #form="ngForm" (ngSubmit)="onSubmit(form.value)" class="row" action="/search">
 <div *ngIf="isNotEmpty(scopes)" class="col-12 col-sm-3">
-  <select [(ngModel)]="selectedId" name="scope" class="form-control" aria-label="Search scope" [compareWith]="byId">
+  <select [(ngModel)]="selectedId" name="scope" class="form-control" aria-label="Search scope">
     <option value>{{'search.form.search_dspace' | translate}}</option>
     <option *ngFor="let scopeOption of scopes" [value]="scopeOption.id">{{scopeOption?.name ? scopeOption.name : 'search.form.search_dspace' | translate}}</option>
   </select>
diff --git a/src/app/shared/search-form/search-form.component.ts b/src/app/shared/search-form/search-form.component.ts
index 478df3bb65..49f825e28c 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/search-form/search-form.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/search-form/search-form.component.ts
@@ -50,11 +50,4 @@ export class SearchFormComponent {
     return isNotEmpty(object);
   }
 
-  byId(id1: string, id2: string) {
-    if (isEmpty(id1) && isEmpty(id2)) {
-      return true;
-    }
-    return id1 === id2;
-  }
-
 }