diff --git a/src/app/shared/search/search-filters/search-filter/search-facet-filter/search-facet-filter.component.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/search/search-filters/search-filter/search-facet-filter/search-facet-filter.component.spec.ts
index 919dfc0889..d22496807b 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/search/search-filters/search-filter/search-facet-filter/search-facet-filter.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/search/search-filters/search-filter/search-facet-filter/search-facet-filter.component.spec.ts
@@ -197,7 +197,6 @@ describe('SearchFacetFilterComponent', () => {
   describe('when the onSubmit method is called with data', () => {
     const searchUrl = '/search/path';
     const testValue = 'test';
-    const data = testValue;
 
     beforeEach(() => {
       comp.selectedValues$ = observableOf(selectedValues.map((value) =>
@@ -207,15 +206,25 @@ describe('SearchFacetFilterComponent', () => {
         })));
       fixture.detectChanges();
       spyOn(comp, 'getSearchLink').and.returnValue(searchUrl);
-      comp.onSubmit(data);
     });
 
-    it('should call navigate on the router with the right searchlink and parameters', () => {
+    it('should call navigate on the router with the right searchlink and parameters when the filter is provided with a valid operator', () => {
+      comp.onSubmit(testValue + ',equals');
       expect(router.navigate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(searchUrl.split('/'), {
-        queryParams: { [mockFilterConfig.paramName]: [...selectedValues.map((value) => `${value},equals`), testValue] },
+        queryParams: { [mockFilterConfig.paramName]: [...selectedValues.map((value) => `${value},equals`), `${testValue},equals`] },
         queryParamsHandling: 'merge'
       });
     });
+
+    it('should not call navigate on the router when the filter is not provided with a valid operator', () => {
+      comp.onSubmit(testValue);
+      expect(router.navigate).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
+    it('should not call navigate on the router when the empty string is given as filter', () => {
+      comp.onSubmit(',equals');
+      expect(router.navigate).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('when updateFilterValueList is called', () => {
diff --git a/src/app/shared/search/search-filters/search-filter/search-hierarchy-filter/search-hierarchy-filter.component.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/search/search-filters/search-filter/search-hierarchy-filter/search-hierarchy-filter.component.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c59ae7a906
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/shared/search/search-filters/search-filter/search-hierarchy-filter/search-hierarchy-filter.component.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+import { TestBed, ComponentFixture } from '@angular/core/testing';
+import { SearchHierarchyFilterComponent } from './search-hierarchy-filter.component';
+import { SearchService } from '../../../../../core/shared/search/search.service';
+import {
+  SearchFilterService,
+  FILTER_CONFIG,
+  IN_PLACE_SEARCH
+} from '../../../../../core/shared/search/search-filter.service';
+import { RemoteDataBuildService } from '../../../../../core/cache/builders/remote-data-build.service';
+import { SearchFiltersComponent } from '../../search-filters.component';
+import { Router } from '@angular/router';
+import { RouterStub } from '../../../../testing/router.stub';
+import { SearchServiceStub } from '../../../../testing/search-service.stub';
+import { of as observableOf, Observable } from 'rxjs';
+import { SEARCH_CONFIG_SERVICE } from '../../../../../my-dspace-page/my-dspace-page.component';
+import { SearchConfigurationServiceStub } from '../../../../testing/search-configuration-service.stub';
+import { SearchFilterConfig } from '../../../models/search-filter-config.model';
+import { TranslateModule } from '@ngx-translate/core';
+import {
+  FilterInputSuggestionsComponent
+} from '../../../../input-suggestions/filter-suggestions/filter-input-suggestions.component';
+import { FormsModule } from '@angular/forms';
+import { NoopAnimationsModule } from '@angular/platform-browser/animations';
+import { NO_ERRORS_SCHEMA, ChangeDetectionStrategy } from '@angular/core';
+import { createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$ } from '../../../../remote-data.utils';
+import { FacetValue } from '../../../models/facet-value.model';
+import { FilterType } from '../../../models/filter-type.model';
+import { createPaginatedList } from '../../../../testing/utils.test';
+import { RemoteData } from '../../../../../core/data/remote-data';
+import { PaginatedList } from '../../../../../core/data/paginated-list.model';
+
+describe('SearchHierarchyFilterComponent', () => {
+  let comp: SearchHierarchyFilterComponent;
+  let fixture: ComponentFixture<SearchHierarchyFilterComponent>;
+  let searchService: SearchService;
+  let router;
+
+  const value1 = 'testvalue1';
+  const value2 = 'test2';
+  const value3 = 'another value3';
+  const values: FacetValue[] = [
+    {
+      label: value1,
+      value: value1,
+      count: 52,
+      _links: {
+        self: {
+          href: ''
+        },
+        search: {
+          href: ''
+        }
+      }
+    }, {
+      label: value2,
+      value: value2,
+      count: 20,
+      _links: {
+        self: {
+          href: ''
+        },
+        search: {
+          href: ''
+        }
+      }
+    }, {
+      label: value3,
+      value: value3,
+      count: 5,
+      _links: {
+        self: {
+          href: ''
+        },
+        search: {
+          href: ''
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  ];
+  const mockValues = createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(createPaginatedList(values));
+
+  const searchFilterServiceStub = {
+    getSelectedValuesForFilter(_filterConfig: SearchFilterConfig): Observable<string[]> {
+      return observableOf(values.map((value: FacetValue) => value.value));
+    },
+    getPage(_paramName: string): Observable<number> {
+      return observableOf(0);
+    },
+    resetPage(_filterName: string): void {
+      // empty
+    }
+  };
+
+  const remoteDataBuildServiceStub = {
+    aggregate(_input: Observable<RemoteData<FacetValue>>[]): Observable<RemoteData<PaginatedList<FacetValue>[]>> {
+      return createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$([createPaginatedList(values)]);
+    }
+  };
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
+      imports: [TranslateModule.forRoot(), NoopAnimationsModule, FormsModule],
+      declarations: [
+        SearchHierarchyFilterComponent,
+        SearchFiltersComponent,
+        FilterInputSuggestionsComponent
+      ],
+      providers: [
+        { provide: SearchService, useValue: new SearchServiceStub() },
+        { provide: SearchFilterService, useValue: searchFilterServiceStub },
+        { provide: RemoteDataBuildService, useValue: remoteDataBuildServiceStub },
+        { provide: Router, useValue: new RouterStub() },
+        { provide: SEARCH_CONFIG_SERVICE, useValue: new SearchConfigurationServiceStub() },
+        { provide: IN_PLACE_SEARCH, useValue: false },
+        { provide: FILTER_CONFIG, useValue: new SearchFilterConfig() }
+      ],
+      schemas: [NO_ERRORS_SCHEMA]
+    }).overrideComponent(SearchHierarchyFilterComponent, {
+      set: { changeDetection: ChangeDetectionStrategy.Default }
+    }).compileComponents();
+  })
+  ;
+  const mockFilterConfig: SearchFilterConfig = Object.assign(new SearchFilterConfig(), {
+    name: 'filterName1',
+    filterType: FilterType.text,
+    hasFacets: false,
+    isOpenByDefault: false,
+    pageSize: 2
+  });
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(SearchHierarchyFilterComponent);
+    comp = fixture.componentInstance; // SearchHierarchyFilterComponent test instance
+    comp.filterConfig = mockFilterConfig;
+    searchService = (comp as any).searchService;
+    // @ts-ignore
+    spyOn(searchService, 'getFacetValuesFor').and.returnValue(mockValues);
+    router = (comp as any).router;
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+  });
+
+  it('should navigate to the correct filter with the query operator', () => {
+    expect((comp as any).searchService.getFacetValuesFor).toHaveBeenCalledWith(comp.filterConfig, 0, {});
+
+    const searchQuery = 'MARVEL';
+    comp.onSubmit(searchQuery);
+
+    expect(router.navigate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(['', 'search'], Object({
+      queryParams: Object({ [mockFilterConfig.paramName]: [...values.map((value: FacetValue) => `${value.value},equals`), `${searchQuery},query`] }),
+      queryParamsHandling: 'merge'
+    }));
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/app/shared/search/search.utils.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/search/search.utils.spec.ts
index 969ea1927d..fb07e2c82c 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/search/search.utils.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/search/search.utils.spec.ts
@@ -50,8 +50,17 @@ describe('Search Utils', () => {
   });
 
   describe('stripOperatorFromFilterValue', () => {
-    it('should strip the operator from the value', () => {
-      expect(stripOperatorFromFilterValue('value,operator')).toEqual('value');
+    it('should strip equals operator from the value', () => {
+      expect(stripOperatorFromFilterValue('value,equals')).toEqual('value');
+    });
+    it('should strip query operator from the value', () => {
+      expect(stripOperatorFromFilterValue('value,query')).toEqual('value');
+    });
+    it('should strip authority operator from the value', () => {
+      expect(stripOperatorFromFilterValue('value,authority')).toEqual('value');
+    });
+    it('should not strip a the part after the last , from a value if it isn\'t a valid operator', () => {
+      expect(stripOperatorFromFilterValue('value,invalid_operator')).toEqual('value,invalid_operator');
     });
   });