diff --git a/docs/api-guide/filtering.md b/docs/api-guide/filtering.md
index afb44ea3f..65b745a38 100644
--- a/docs/api-guide/filtering.md
+++ b/docs/api-guide/filtering.md
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ When in use, the browsable API will include a `SearchFilter` control:
 
 ![Search Filter](../img/search-filter.png)
 
-The `SearchFilter` class will only be applied if the view or `SearchFilter` class itself has a `search_fields` attribute set. The `search_fields` attribute should be a list of names of text type fields on the model, such as `CharField` or `TextField`.
+The `SearchFilter` class will only be applied if `SearchFilter` class itself or the view has a `search_fields` attribute set. The `search_fields` attribute should be a list of names of text type fields on the model, such as `CharField` or `TextField`.
 
     from rest_framework import filters
 
diff --git a/rest_framework/filters.py b/rest_framework/filters.py
index 6397abdfe..52258f1d2 100644
--- a/rest_framework/filters.py
+++ b/rest_framework/filters.py
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class SearchFilter(BaseFilterBackend):
         always passed to this method. Sub-classes can override this method to
         dynamically change the search fields based on request content.
         """
-        return getattr(view, 'search_fields', getattr(self, 'search_fields'))
+        return getattr(self, 'search_fields', getattr(view, 'search_fields'))
 
     def get_search_terms(self, request):
         """