diff --git a/src/app/core/auth/auth-request.service.spec.ts b/src/app/core/auth/auth-request.service.spec.ts
index 707daf9e30..2afeb26b02 100644
--- a/src/app/core/auth/auth-request.service.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/auth/auth-request.service.spec.ts
@@ -7,57 +7,156 @@ import { TestScheduler } from 'rxjs/testing';
 import { createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject } from '../../shared/remote-data.utils';
 import { ShortLivedToken } from './models/short-lived-token.model';
 import { RemoteData } from '../data/remote-data';
+import { HttpOptions } from '../dspace-rest/dspace-rest.service';
+import objectContaining = jasmine.objectContaining;
+import { AuthStatus } from './models/auth-status.model';
+import { RestRequestMethod } from '../data/rest-request-method';
 
 describe(`AuthRequestService`, () => {
   let halService: HALEndpointService;
   let endpointURL: string;
+  let requestID: string;
   let shortLivedToken: ShortLivedToken;
   let shortLivedTokenRD: RemoteData<ShortLivedToken>;
   let requestService: RequestService;
   let rdbService: RemoteDataBuildService;
-  let service: AuthRequestService;
+  let service;
   let testScheduler;
 
-    class TestAuthRequestService extends AuthRequestService {
-      constructor(
-        hes: HALEndpointService,
-        rs: RequestService,
-        rdbs: RemoteDataBuildService
-      ) {
-        super(hes, rs, rdbs);
-      }
+  const status = new AuthStatus();
 
-      protected createShortLivedTokenRequest(href: string): PostRequest {
-        return new PostRequest(this.requestService.generateRequestId(), href);
-      }
+  class TestAuthRequestService extends AuthRequestService {
+    constructor(
+      hes: HALEndpointService,
+      rs: RequestService,
+      rdbs: RemoteDataBuildService
+    ) {
+      super(hes, rs, rdbs);
     }
 
-    const init = (cold: typeof TestScheduler.prototype.createColdObservable) => {
-      endpointURL = 'https://rest.api/auth';
-      shortLivedToken = Object.assign(new ShortLivedToken(), {
-        value: 'some-token'
-      });
-      shortLivedTokenRD = createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject(shortLivedToken);
+    protected createShortLivedTokenRequest(href: string): PostRequest {
+      return new PostRequest(this.requestService.generateRequestId(), href);
+    }
+  }
 
-      halService = jasmine.createSpyObj('halService', {
-        'getEndpoint': cold('a', { a: endpointURL })
-      });
-      requestService = jasmine.createSpyObj('requestService', {
-        'send': null
-      });
-      rdbService = jasmine.createSpyObj('rdbService', {
-        'buildFromRequestUUID': cold('a', { a: shortLivedTokenRD })
-      });
+  const init = (cold: typeof TestScheduler.prototype.createColdObservable) => {
+    endpointURL = 'https://rest.api/auth';
+    requestID = 'requestID';
+    shortLivedToken = Object.assign(new ShortLivedToken(), {
+      value: 'some-token'
+    });
+    shortLivedTokenRD = createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject(shortLivedToken);
 
-      service = new TestAuthRequestService(halService, requestService, rdbService);
-    };
+    halService = jasmine.createSpyObj('halService', {
+      'getEndpoint': cold('a', { a: endpointURL })
+    });
+    requestService = jasmine.createSpyObj('requestService', {
+      'generateRequestId': requestID,
+      'send': null,
+    });
+    rdbService = jasmine.createSpyObj('rdbService', {
+      'buildFromRequestUUID': cold('a', { a: shortLivedTokenRD })
+    });
+
+    service = new TestAuthRequestService(halService, requestService, rdbService);
+
+    spyOn(service as any, 'fetchRequest').and.returnValue(cold('a', { a: createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject(status) }));
+  };
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    testScheduler = new TestScheduler((actual, expected) => {
+      expect(actual).toEqual(expected);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('REST request methods', () => {
+    let options: HttpOptions;
 
     beforeEach(() => {
-      testScheduler = new TestScheduler((actual, expected) => {
-        expect(actual).toEqual(expected);
+      options = Object.create({});
+    });
+
+    describe('GET', () => {
+      it('should send a GET request to the right endpoint and return the auth status', () => {
+        testScheduler.run(({ cold, expectObservable, flush }) => {
+          init(cold);
+
+          expectObservable(service.getRequest('method', options)).toBe('a', {
+            a: objectContaining({ payload: status }),
+          });
+          flush();
+
+          expect(requestService.send).toHaveBeenCalledWith(objectContaining({
+            uuid: requestID,
+            href: endpointURL + '/method',
+            method: RestRequestMethod.GET,
+            body: undefined,
+            options,
+          }));
+          expect((service as any).fetchRequest).toHaveBeenCalledWith(requestID);
+        });
+      });
+
+      it('should send the request even if caller doesn\'t subscribe to the response', () => {
+        testScheduler.run(({ cold, flush }) => {
+          init(cold);
+
+          service.getRequest('method', options);
+          flush();
+
+          expect(requestService.send).toHaveBeenCalledWith(objectContaining({
+            uuid: requestID,
+            href: endpointURL + '/method',
+            method: RestRequestMethod.GET,
+            body: undefined,
+            options,
+          }));
+          expect((service as any).fetchRequest).toHaveBeenCalledWith(requestID);
+        });
       });
     });
 
+    describe('POST', () => {
+      it('should send a POST request to the right endpoint and return the auth status', () => {
+        testScheduler.run(({ cold, expectObservable, flush }) => {
+          init(cold);
+
+          expectObservable(service.postToEndpoint('method', { content: 'something' }, options)).toBe('a', {
+            a: objectContaining({ payload: status }),
+          });
+          flush();
+
+          expect(requestService.send).toHaveBeenCalledWith(objectContaining({
+            uuid: requestID,
+            href: endpointURL + '/method',
+            method: RestRequestMethod.POST,
+            body: { content: 'something' },
+            options,
+          }));
+          expect((service as any).fetchRequest).toHaveBeenCalledWith(requestID);
+        });
+      });
+
+      it('should send the request even if caller doesn\'t subscribe to the response', () => {
+        testScheduler.run(({ cold, flush }) => {
+          init(cold);
+
+          service.postToEndpoint('method', { content: 'something' }, options);
+          flush();
+
+          expect(requestService.send).toHaveBeenCalledWith(objectContaining({
+            uuid: requestID,
+            href: endpointURL + '/method',
+            method: RestRequestMethod.POST,
+            body: { content: 'something' },
+            options,
+          }));
+          expect((service as any).fetchRequest).toHaveBeenCalledWith(requestID);
+        });
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
   describe(`getShortlivedToken`, () => {
     it(`should call createShortLivedTokenRequest with the url for the endpoint`, () => {
       testScheduler.run(({ cold, expectObservable, flush }) => {
diff --git a/src/app/core/auth/auth-request.service.ts b/src/app/core/auth/auth-request.service.ts
index bcaa5972ac..4087989a6b 100644
--- a/src/app/core/auth/auth-request.service.ts
+++ b/src/app/core/auth/auth-request.service.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ export abstract class AuthRequestService {
               ) {
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Fetch the response to a request from the cache, once it's completed.
+   * @param requestId the UUID of the request for which to retrieve the response
+   * @protected
+   */
   protected fetchRequest(requestId: string): Observable<RemoteData<AuthStatus>> {
     return this.rdbService.buildFromRequestUUID<AuthStatus>(requestId).pipe(
       getFirstCompletedRemoteData(),
@@ -36,6 +41,12 @@ export abstract class AuthRequestService {
     return isNotEmpty(method) ? `${endpoint}/${method}` : `${endpoint}`;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Send a POST request to an authentication endpoint
+   * @param method    the method to send to (e.g. 'status')
+   * @param body      the data to send (optional)
+   * @param options   the HTTP options for the request
+   */
   public postToEndpoint(method: string, body?: any, options?: HttpOptions): Observable<RemoteData<AuthStatus>> {
     const requestId = this.requestService.generateRequestId();
 
@@ -52,6 +63,11 @@ export abstract class AuthRequestService {
     return this.fetchRequest(requestId);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Send a GET request to an authentication endpoint
+   * @param method    the method to send to (e.g. 'status')
+   * @param options   the HTTP options for the request
+   */
   public getRequest(method: string, options?: HttpOptions): Observable<RemoteData<AuthStatus>> {
     const requestId = this.requestService.generateRequestId();