diff --git a/src/main/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/QueriesImpl.java b/src/main/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/QueriesImpl.java
index 738f7c781b..d388aa2e85 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/QueriesImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/impl/QueriesImpl.java
@@ -189,7 +189,12 @@ public class QueriesImpl implements Queries, InitializingBean
                     NodeRef nodeRef = nodes.validateOrLookupNode(rootNodeId, null);
                     query.append("PATH:\"").append(getQNamePath(nodeRef.getId())).append("//*\" AND (");
                 }
-                query.append(term);
+                if (term != null)
+                {
+                    query.append("\"");
+                    query.append(term);
+                    query.append("\"");
+                }
                 if (rootNodeId != null)
                 {
                     query.append(")");
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/tests/QueriesNodesApiTest.java b/src/test/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/tests/QueriesNodesApiTest.java
index f416db7961..9f1042a9ed 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/tests/QueriesNodesApiTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/alfresco/rest/api/tests/QueriesNodesApiTest.java
@@ -85,6 +85,40 @@ public class QueriesNodesApiTest extends AbstractSingleNetworkSiteTest
         }
         return result;
     }
+    
+    @Test
+    public void testSearchTermWhiteSpace() throws Exception{
+        setRequestContext(user1);
+        
+        String myFolderNodeId = getMyNodeId();
+
+        String parentTerm = createFolder(myFolderNodeId, "folder term1").getId();
+        String childTerm = "find" + Math.random();
+        String childTermWS =  childTerm + " " + "find";
+        
+        Map<String,String> docProps = new HashMap<>(2);
+        docProps.put("cm:title", childTerm);
+        docProps.put("cm:description", childTerm);
+        createTextFile(parentTerm, childTerm, childTerm, "UTF-8", docProps);
+        
+        docProps.put("cm:title", childTermWS);
+        docProps.put("cm:description", childTermWS);
+        createTextFile(parentTerm, childTermWS, childTermWS, "UTF-8", docProps);
+
+        Paging paging = getPaging(0, 100);
+        HashMap<String,String> params = new HashMap<>(1);
+        params.put(Queries.PARAM_TERM,  childTerm);
+        HttpResponse response = getAll(URL_QUERIES_LSN, paging, params, 200);
+        List<Node> nodes = RestApiUtil.parseRestApiEntries(response.getJsonResponse(), Node.class);
+        assertEquals(2, nodes.size());
+        
+        params.put(Queries.PARAM_TERM,  childTermWS);
+        response = getAll(URL_QUERIES_LSN, paging, params, 200);
+        nodes = RestApiUtil.parseRestApiEntries(response.getJsonResponse(), Node.class);
+        assertEquals(1, nodes.size());
+
+    }
+    
 
     /**
      * Tests basic api for nodes live search - metadata (name, title, description) &/or full text search of file/content