Research Excellence Framework

‘REF season’ is under way and staff who support the development of impact case studies need to consider their tactics. Chris Hewson offers guidance based on his own experience

New rules for staff eligibility designed to make compliance easier are in fact more complicated than before, academics warn

Proposals to extend open access requirements to include all long-form works beyond REF 2021 divide opinion

While majority of outputs now meet requirements, some institutions and disciplines are doing better than others

A home-grown alternative to the research assessment exercise would better reflect local practice and sit better with the special administrative region’s new political reality, says Michael O’Sullivan

We are right to celebrate the contributions that research makes to society, but why don’t we talk more about the costs? asks Rosa Freedman

Scholarly body warns mandate could ‘undermine the UK’s place in the global research community’

Better recognition of the wider social benefits of both teaching and research would help universities regain public goodwill, says Nick Petford 

Concerns over cost and impact of proposals can be overcome, say scholars

Funding administrating body aims to survey 600 researchers across four universities to examine effects felt by reforms made to the assessment

Lancaster University's vice-chancellor Mark E. Smith and Nicola Owen argue that a new composite ranking offers a more nuanced view of institutional excellence

Architects of merged league table say results show how old hierarchies are outdated, but pre-92 institutions still dominate

The reawakening of political activism within academia sparked by the pensions strike will reinvigorate scholarship, says Jana Bacevic

Introducing a ‘consumer-style ratings system’ for degrees has the potential to cause terrible damage to universities and society in general, argues Cathy Shrank

Bias in assessing submissions is inevitable and damaging. Anonymisation is the least bad solution, says Graham Farrell

There is no evidence that the REF process encourages academics to rush out more research of a lower quality, says Steven Hill

Study finds 35 per cent increase in publications ahead of submission deadline, but 12 per cent decline in citations

After the twin shocks of Brexit and Trump, Patrick McGhee can only guess what the next 12 months will bring. Are you ready for peer-reviewed tweets, TEF results determined by University Challenge, and ‘lyecturers’ for hire?

Universities hoping to submit staff who have already left are going to have to work hard on maintaining goodwill, says Robert Dingwall

Monographs typically constitute a scholar’s greatest achievement, but REF strategists discourage their production, says Bruce Macfarlane

The 2021 research excellence framework could be more representative and humane than ever, but the devil will be in the implementation, says James Wilsdon

Final decisions on shape of research excellence framework are an improvement but will not end ‘game-playing’, sector experts warn

New rules implemented 'will give a more rounded view of the research carried out' and reflect better on individuals, says funding body head

Several top researchers exit Teesside after professors given individual ratings out of 32, senior academic claims

Research is paid for by legerdemain, and we should be honest about it if we want to correct funding imbalances and treat students fairly

University of Hertfordshire job cuts add to fears staff could be forced out ahead of REF 2021

The research excellence framework’s panels will look at factors including adventurousness, disciplinary diversity and methodological clarity, predicts Martin Willis

Having caused a scandal over research assessment back in the 1990s, Lincoln Allison is well placed to give an overview of its impact, and still finds it wanting

Universities must support those responsible for the impact case studies that will carry so much weight in the next research excellence framework, says Jonathan Grant

Inaugural UK-US science deal will include investment in two major projects Stateside

Joy Carter urges universities and policymakers to embrace the ‘joy of learning’

Hefce stops short of adopting Lord Stern’s proposal to include university-wide impact in research assessment scores

It is time to consider how we can stop senior academics bullying their way on to research papers, says Trisha Greenhalgh

Universities, funders, rankers and individual academics all need to act to stamp out predatory publishers, says Roger Watson

The publication game that researchers are obliged to play has stripped the purpose out of social research. Time to change the rules, says Yiannis Gabriel

Both universities could gain credit when an academic moves, under plans

The pressure of producing high-quality research publications spoils the long vacation for many academics, says Rachel Moss

Does the UK have the best structures in place to fund data-driven research? asks Steven Hill

Should we be talking about Ofcoll and the ‘degree experience framework’? Diana Beech thinks so

Emily Van Duyne on why she missed graduation despite being passionately committed to her students

Research excellence framework maintains discrimination in academy, says thesis

It's not just about papers. Running a university in Papua New Guinea has cast academic impact in a more exotic light for John Warren

Findings from the German Excellence Initiative raise questions over impact of TEF

‘Push-back’ against proposal to use contractual status to identify research-active academics

Discussion of research excellence framework reform has overlooked the role of research itself, argues Kevin Hetherington

Economist says universities will simply ‘play different types of games’ after Stern review

Game-playing, ‘spurious precision’ of league tables and heavy workloads also highlighted by insiders from 2014 audit

Researchers on large-scale projects would receive less credit under proposed scheme

Stern Review steering group member says unclear whether assessment still drives up quality

Proportion of Royal Society scientists associated with Oxbridge is lower than expected, researcher says

Mathematical model works by trying to remove skewing of results in group funding decisions

Some universities in Germany are using extra cash to create elite flagship courses, says study

Sir Keith Burnett reflects on the future of academia and innovation in the UK and China

Biochemist named in analysis of US highly cited papers claims it is not his main contribution to science

Academics should be able to publish either a YouTube video or a paper, expert argues

Key recommendation of Stern review is adopted to help reduce workload for institutions

Landmark exhibition explained the significance of university research to the public

Phil Scraton on the role his work played in securing justice for the victims’ families and survivors of the 1989 disaster