diff --git a/src/app/shared/object-grid/search-result-grid-element/item-search-result/item/item-search-result-grid-element.component.html b/src/app/shared/object-grid/search-result-grid-element/item-search-result/item/item-search-result-grid-element.component.html
index 9aa511cb415..7e2f093a32e 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/object-grid/search-result-grid-element/item-search-result/item/item-search-result-grid-element.component.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/object-grid/search-result-grid-element/item-search-result/item/item-search-result-grid-element.component.html
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ <h4 class="card-title" [innerHTML]="dsoTitle"></h4>
                     </span>
                 </p>
             </ds-truncatable-part>
-            <ds-truncatable-part *ngIf="dso.hasMetadata('dc.description.abstract')" [id]="dso.id" [minLines]="3">
+            <ds-truncatable-part *ngIf="dso.hasMetadata('dc.description')" [id]="dso.id" [minLines]="3">
                 <p class="item-abstract card-text">
-                    <span [innerHTML]="firstMetadataValue('dc.description.abstract')"></span>
+                    <span [innerHTML]="firstMetadataValue('dc.description')"></span>
                 </p>
             </ds-truncatable-part>
         </ds-truncatable>
diff --git a/src/app/shared/object-grid/search-result-grid-element/item-search-result/item/item-search-result-grid-element.component.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/object-grid/search-result-grid-element/item-search-result/item/item-search-result-grid-element.component.spec.ts
index dc42b033d84..92c057a3cd5 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/object-grid/search-result-grid-element/item-search-result/item/item-search-result-grid-element.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/object-grid/search-result-grid-element/item-search-result/item/item-search-result-grid-element.component.spec.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ import { ItemSearchResultGridElementComponent } from './item-search-result-grid-
 
 const mockItemWithMetadata: ItemSearchResult = new ItemSearchResult();
 mockItemWithMetadata.hitHighlights = {};
+const mockItemWithAbstractOnly: ItemSearchResult = new ItemSearchResult();
+mockItemWithAbstractOnly.hitHighlights = {};
 const dcTitle = 'This is just another <em>title</em>';
 mockItemWithMetadata.indexableObject = Object.assign(new Item(), {
   hitHighlights: {
@@ -55,7 +57,7 @@ mockItemWithMetadata.indexableObject = Object.assign(new Item(), {
         value: '2015-06-26'
       }
     ],
-    'dc.description.abstract': [
+    'dc.description': [
       {
         language: 'en_US',
         value: 'This is an abstract'
@@ -63,6 +65,23 @@ mockItemWithMetadata.indexableObject = Object.assign(new Item(), {
     ]
   }
 });
+mockItemWithAbstractOnly.indexableObject = Object.assign(new Item(), {
+  bundles: createSuccessfulRemoteDataObject$(buildPaginatedList(new PageInfo(), [])),
+  metadata: {
+    'dc.title': [
+      {
+        language: 'en_US',
+        value: dcTitle
+      }
+    ],
+    'dc.description.abstract': [
+      {
+        language: 'en_US',
+        value: 'Legacy abstract only'
+      }
+    ]
+  }
+});
 const mockPerson: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResult(), {
   hitHighlights: {
     'person.familyName': [{
@@ -98,7 +117,7 @@ const mockPerson: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResult(), {
             value: '2015-06-26'
           }
         ],
-        'dc.description.abstract': [
+        'dc.description': [
           {
             language: 'en_US',
             value: 'This is the abstract'
@@ -152,7 +171,7 @@ const mockOrgUnit: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResult(), {
             value: '2015-06-26'
           }
         ],
-        'dc.description.abstract': [
+        'dc.description': [
           {
             language: 'en_US',
             value: 'This is the abstract'
@@ -186,7 +205,7 @@ mockItemWithoutMetadata.indexableObject = Object.assign(new Item(), {
   }
 });
 
-describe('ItemGridElementComponent', getEntityGridElementTestComponent(ItemSearchResultGridElementComponent, mockItemWithMetadata, mockItemWithoutMetadata, ['authors', 'date', 'abstract']));
+describe('ItemGridElementComponent', getEntityGridElementTestComponent(ItemSearchResultGridElementComponent, mockItemWithMetadata, mockItemWithoutMetadata, ['authors', 'date', 'abstract'], mockItemWithAbstractOnly));
 
 /**
  * Create test cases for a grid component of an entity.
@@ -197,7 +216,13 @@ describe('ItemGridElementComponent', getEntityGridElementTestComponent(ItemSearc
  *                                      For example: If one of the fields to check is labeled "authors", the html template should contain at least one element with class ".item-authors" that's
  *                                      present when the author metadata is available.
  */
-export function getEntityGridElementTestComponent(component, searchResultWithMetadata: ItemSearchResult, searchResultWithoutMetadata: ItemSearchResult, fieldsToCheck: string[]) {
+export function getEntityGridElementTestComponent(
+  component,
+  searchResultWithMetadata: ItemSearchResult,
+  searchResultWithoutMetadata: ItemSearchResult,
+  fieldsToCheck: string[],
+  searchResultWithAbstractOnly?: ItemSearchResult,
+) {
   return () => {
     let comp;
     let fixture;
@@ -244,6 +269,20 @@ export function getEntityGridElementTestComponent(component, searchResultWithMet
       comp = fixture.componentInstance;
     }));
 
+    if (searchResultWithAbstractOnly) {
+      describe('when the item has only dc.description.abstract metadata', () => {
+        beforeEach(() => {
+          comp.object = searchResultWithAbstractOnly;
+          fixture.detectChanges();
+        });
+
+        it('should not show abstract field', () => {
+          const abstractField = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('.item-abstract'));
+          expect(abstractField).toBeNull();
+        });
+      });
+    }
+
     fieldsToCheck.forEach((field) => {
       describe(`when the item has "${field}" metadata`, () => {
         beforeEach(() => {
diff --git a/src/app/shared/object-list/search-result-list-element/item-search-result/item-types/item/item-search-result-list-element.component.html b/src/app/shared/object-list/search-result-list-element/item-search-result/item-types/item/item-search-result-list-element.component.html
index 64b28531338..fb3518fe1cf 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/object-list/search-result-list-element/item-search-result/item-types/item/item-search-result-list-element.component.html
+++ b/src/app/shared/object-list/search-result-list-element/item-search-result/item-types/item/item-search-result-list-element.component.html
@@ -36,9 +36,9 @@
           </span>
         </ds-truncatable-part>
       </span>
-      <div *ngIf="dso.firstMetadataValue('dc.description.abstract')" class="item-list-abstract">
+      <div *ngIf="dso.firstMetadataValue('dc.description')" class="item-list-abstract">
         <ds-truncatable-part [id]="dso.id" [minLines]="3"><span
-          [innerHTML]="firstMetadataValue('dc.description.abstract')"></span>
+          [innerHTML]="firstMetadataValue('dc.description')"></span>
         </ds-truncatable-part>
       </div>
     </ds-truncatable>
diff --git a/src/app/shared/object-list/search-result-list-element/item-search-result/item-types/item/item-search-result-list-element.component.spec.ts b/src/app/shared/object-list/search-result-list-element/item-search-result/item-types/item/item-search-result-list-element.component.spec.ts
index 7665b7d64e3..06fff63d181 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/object-list/search-result-list-element/item-search-result/item-types/item/item-search-result-list-element.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/object-list/search-result-list-element/item-search-result/item-types/item/item-search-result-list-element.component.spec.ts
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ const mockItemWithMetadata: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResul
             value: '2015-06-26'
           }
         ],
-        'dc.description.abstract': [
+        'dc.description': [
           {
             language: 'en_US',
             value: 'This is the abstract'
@@ -57,6 +57,20 @@ const mockItemWithMetadata: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResul
       }
     })
 });
+const mockItemWithAbstractOnly: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResult(), {
+  indexableObject:
+    Object.assign(new Item(), {
+      bundles: observableOf({}),
+      metadata: {
+        'dc.description.abstract': [
+          {
+            language: 'en_US',
+            value: 'Legacy abstract only'
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+    })
+});
 const mockItemWithoutMetadata: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResult(), {
   indexableObject:
     Object.assign(new Item(), {
@@ -99,7 +113,7 @@ const mockPerson: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResult(), {
             value: '2015-06-26'
           }
         ],
-        'dc.description.abstract': [
+        'dc.description': [
           {
             language: 'en_US',
             value: 'This is the abstract'
@@ -153,7 +167,7 @@ const mockOrgUnit: ItemSearchResult = Object.assign(new ItemSearchResult(), {
             value: '2015-06-26'
           }
         ],
-        'dc.description.abstract': [
+        'dc.description': [
           {
             language: 'en_US',
             value: 'This is the abstract'
@@ -317,6 +331,18 @@ describe('ItemSearchResultListElementComponent', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('When the item has only dc.description.abstract metadata', () => {
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      publicationListElementComponent.object = mockItemWithAbstractOnly;
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+    });
+
+    it('should not show the abstract span', () => {
+      const abstractField = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('div.item-list-abstract'));
+      expect(abstractField).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('When the item has title', () => {
     beforeEach(() => {
       publicationListElementComponent.object = mockItemWithMetadata;