Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
An institution publishes its REF 2021 environment statement to demonstrate its supportive research culture.
- Is an instance
Researchers reference REF 2021 panel reports when planning future output strategies.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
Citing REF 2021 environment weightings (15%) as current when REF 2029's SPRE element is weighted 20%.
- Not an instance
Treating REF 2021 institutional grade-point averages as definitive league-table rankings.
Editorial commentary
REF 2021 was the most recent completed cycle of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework, delayed by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with results published in May 2022 assessing research produced between 2014 and 2020. It assessed 76,132 academic staff across 157 UK higher education institutions, with submissions made to 34 units of assessment. The overall quality profile for each submission combined three weighted elements: outputs (60%), impact case studies (25%), and environment (15%), each assessed on its own scale and then combined into the published profile.
REF 2021 introduced several changes from the previous REF 2014 cycle: a requirement to submit all eligible staff rather than a selected subset, decoupling outputs from individual named researchers; an increase in the impact weighting from 20% (REF 2014) to 25%; and explicit guidance on the responsible use of metrics in assessment, aligned with the recommendations of the Metric Tide report. The environment element was assessed through institution-level (REF5a) and unit-level (REF5b) narrative statements describing research culture, infrastructure, and sustainability.
REF 2021 is now historical, and its structure — particularly the environment element — has been substantially revised for the next cycle. REF 2029 replaces REF 2021’s Environment element with SPRE (Strategy, People and Research Environment), weighted 20% of the overall quality profile rather than 15%, and scored through two separate statements: an Institution-Level Statement (60% of the SPRE score) and a Unit-Level Statement (40%), each covering four fixed sections and, at unit level, two components — a Statement of Representation and a Research Community Statement — with no REF 2021 equivalent. Institutions citing REF 2021’s element weightings or environment-statement structure as the current standard should note this change; REF 2021’s outputs (60%) and impact (25%) weightings and processes are the historical figures this page describes, not the operative REF 2029 structure.
References
- ref.ac.uk/2021; Research England, ‘Results and submissions’ (2022)
- 2029.ref.ac.uk, SPRE guidance (Section 7)
- Times Higher Education, REF 2021 analysis
Also known as
REF2021
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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