Useful Links and Resources
This page is divided into two sections. First, links and resources relating to the REF and assessment of research impact . Second, links and resources relating to impact: what it is, and how you can develop your impact, ensure that your research achieves impact. The division is somewhat artificial, of course.
REF, and assessment of research impact
Official HEFCE websites and other material
The Research Excellence Framework - including all official HEFCE publications on the REF, e.g. Guidance on Submissions and Panel Criteria and Working Methods
The REF team has provided a list of FAQs (most recently updated in June 2012) which includes some very useful information. You can access those FAQ's here:
The Research Assessment Exercises (RAE 2008, 2001, 1996, 1992) - including both the submissions made by HEIs to these exercises, and information and guidance about making submissions.
HEFCE have published a set of slides explaining the evolution of RAE to REF and briefly summarising REF guidance on submissions, etc, to aid HEIs in briefing staff. The slide pack is periodically updated and the most recent version should be used, but for completeness' sake older versions are also archived here. Please note the conditions of use set by REF on the first page of the slide pack.
- HEFCE REF Briefing Slides for HEIs (September 2011)
- HEFCE REF Briefing Slides for HEIs (updated January 2012)
- Additional HEFCE REF Slides for Chairs (March 2012)
Equality Challenge Unit
- Equality Challenge Unit homepage
- Information about individual staff discosure forms
- Worked examples of complex individual circumstances
- Materials to support preparation of the Code of Practice and Equality Impact Assessments
- Guidance and Support on Equality and the REF
- Good Practice material from RAE 2008
Useful Conferences and Events
King's College London REF Conference Series:
- Beyond the RAE 2008: Bibliometrics, League Tables & the REF (April 2008)
- Towards the REF: Defining Bibliometric Requirements for Research Assessment (November 2008)
- The REF: results of pilots and future developments (June 2009)
- Impact in the context of REF (June 2010)
HEPI Conferences on Research Assessment
- Research Funding and Assessment: The Future (October 2009)
- Assessing Impact, Rewarding Excellence: REF 2014 and beyond (November 2011)
Bulletin Academic Reports
On Bournemouth University's Developing and Assessing Impact for the REF conference (May 2011):
- The big university challenge: influencing policy
- Rules of engagement: impact and the public
- Impact and the REF: the grey areas
Higher Educational Policy Institute (HEPI) Reports
- "Funding Selectivity, Concentration and Excellence - how good is the UK's research?" (March 2010)
- "Proposals for the Research Excellence Framework - a Critique" (October 2009)
- "Evaluating and Funding Research through the proposed Research Excellence Framework" (December 2007)
1994 Group Reports
- Mapping Research Excellence: Exploring the links between research excellence and research funding policy (September 2011)
JISCmail Mailing Lists
There are two relevant JISC mailing lists - REF-NEWS and REF-DISCUSSION. To subscribe, follow the links to their JISCmail home pages.
ARMA (Association of Research Managers and Administrators) REF resources
Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) (Australian equivalent to the RAE/REF)
- Readme introducing ERA and the ERA Outlet Ranking Lists
- Australian Government/Australian Research Council ERA Homepage
- ERA Outlet Ranking Lists
External Responses to the 2011 Consultation on Panel Criteria and Working Methods
- Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS)
- Association for German Studies (AGS) and Women in German Studies (WIGS)
- Association for Learning Technology (ALT)
- British Academy (BA)
- British Academy of Management (BAM)
- Consortium for Research Excellence Support and Training (CREST)
- Council for College and University English (CCUE)
- Environment Agency
- Feminist and Women's Studies Association (FWSA)
- Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA)
- National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)
- Society of Biology
- University and College Union (UCU)
- University Council of Modern Languages (UCML)
Journal Rankings, Impact Factors, Citations and other Bibliometrics
NOTE: REF will not use journal impact factors, and will use bibliometrics only in a few specified UoAs to support peer review. Bibliometric information may be a useful tool in institutional preparations but should only ever be used with great care.
- Association of Business Schools (ABS) Academic Journal Quality Guide
- Harzing's Publish or Perish tool
- SCImago Journal Ranking Tool
Impact: what it is, and developing your impact
Guardian Higher Education Network blog
- How Marcomms professionals are getting research heard (2 February 2012)
- 'Fairytales of Influence'? - new vehicles for communicating research impact (7 July 2011)
JISC "Open Impact" Research Project (focussed on Computer Science)
LSE Impact of Social Sciences Project
- Project website
- Maximising the Impact of Your Research: A Handbook for Social Scientists
- Investigating Academic Impact Conference (June 2011) Please take care in using material from the conference where it directly refers to REF arrangements. Much of what was said was out of date and therefore misleading, in this specific regard.
- Bulletin Academic report [With thanks to Chris O'Brien at Bulletin Academic]
Methods@Manchester: The Impact Agenda seminar series
National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement
Research Councils UK
Latest News
29 January 2013 UEL’s Code of Practice on the Preparation of Submissions and Selection of Staff for REF 2014 is available here
