Panel criteria and working methods

Contents

Sections

Section 1 – Executive summary
1. Purpose
2. Key points
3. Action required
4. Further information
Section 2 – Introduction
1. Introduction
Section 3: Overview
1. Introduction
2. Submissions and Units of Assessment
3. Main and sub-panels
  1. Appointment of additional sub-panel members and assessors
4. Institution-Level Strategy, People and Research Environment (IL SPRE) Panel
5. Advisory panels
  1. People and Diversity Advisory Panel
  2. Research Diversity Advisory Panel
6. Assessing submissions
7. Contribution to Knowledge and Understanding (CKU)
8. Engagement and Impact
9. Strategy, People and Research Environment
Section 4: Panel descriptors
1. Overview
2. UoA descriptors
3. Interdisciplinary research (IDR)
4. Main Panel A – Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
  1. Introduction
  2. Approach to aggregation
5. Main Panel B – Physical Sciences, Engineering and Mathematics
  1. Introduction
  2. Approach to aggregation
6. Main Panel C – Social Sciences
  1. Introduction
  2. Approach to aggregation
7. Main Panel D – Arts and Humanities
  1. Introduction
  2. Approach to aggregation
8. Taxonomies
  1. Broad research areas for determining the representativeness of submissions
  2. Research specialism to inform allocation of outputs to assessors
Section 5: Assessment criteria – Submissions
1. Approach to aggregation
2. Interdisciplinary research (IDR)
3. Work on boundaries between UoAs
4. Pedagogic research
5. Multiple submissions
Section 6: Assessment criteria – Contribution to Knowledge and Understanding (CKU)
1. CKU criteria and level definitions
2. Output types
3. Outputs with significant material in common
4. Co-authored outputs
5. Requests to double-weight outputs
6. Extended process and/or long-form exception
7. Requests to use the five-year pre-publication time period for extended process and/or long-form outputs
8. Additional information for outputs
  1. Evidence of research dimensions and research contribution (300-word supporting statement)
9. Citation data
Section 7: Assessment criteria – E&I
1. Introduction
2. Engagement and impact assessment criteria
  1. The role of engagement
  2. Range of engagement and impacts
3. Continued impact ICS
4. Evidence of impact
5. Underpinning research
6. Preparing impact case studies (ICS)
Section 8: Assessment criteria – Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE)
1. SPRE assessment
2. SPRE assessment criteria
3. Assessment overview
4. Template design
5. Approach to statement writing
6. Definition of responsible research, engagement and impact
7. Use of indicators
8. Word count
9. IL/UL interaction
10. SPRE IL Assessment
11. SPRE UL assessment
12. Standard analyses of the SPRE quantitative data
  1. Provided data
  2. Assessment principles
Section 9: Panel procedures
1. Panel competence to do business
2. Dealing with absences of the chair
3. Conflicts of interest
4. Confidentiality arrangements
5. Data protection
Section 10: Panel working methods
1. The REF panel interaction
2. Institutional-Level Strategy, People and Research Environment (IL SPRE) Panel working methods
3. Main panel working methods
4. Sub-panel working methods
5. Advisory panel working methods
  1. People and Diversity Advisory Panel (PDAP)
  2. Research Diversity Advisory Panel (RDAP)
6. Recording panel decisions
7. Panel use of AI
Annex A: Assessment criteria and level definitions
1. Overview
2. CKU sub-profile: criteria and definitions of starred levels
3. E&I sub-profile: criteria and definitions of starred levels
4. SPRE sub-profile: criteria and definitions of starred levels
5. Notes on the criteria and definitions of the starred levels
Annex B: UoA descriptors and taxonomies – Main Panel A
Annex B: UoA descriptors and taxonomies – Main Panel B
Annex B: UoA descriptors and taxonomies – Main Panel C
Annex B: UoA descriptors and taxonomies – Main Panel D
Annex C: Additional guidance on Impact Case Study (ICS) development
1. Overview
2. Types of impact and possible indicators
3. Impacts on the health and wellbeing of people, and animal welfare
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
4. Impacts on creativity, culture and society
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
5. Impacts on social welfare
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
6. Impacts on commerce and the economy
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
7. Impacts on public policy, law and services
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
8. Impacts on production
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
9. Impacts on practitioners and delivery of professional services, enhanced performance or ethical practice
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
10. Impacts on environment
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
11. Impacts on understanding, learning and participation
  1. Types of impacts:
  2. Possible indicators:
12. Methods and domains of engagement
  1. Methods of engagement
  2. Domains of engagement
Annex D: Summary of additional information about outputs
1. Overview
2. Outputs that include significant material published prior to 1 January 2021 and submitted to REF 2021
3. The researcher’s contribution to a co-authored or co-produced output
4. Request to double-weight an output
5. Abstract for outputs in languages other than English
6. Information about the research dimensions and research contribution
7. Factual information about the significance of the output
8. Statement on how the output meets the definition of extended process and/or long-form for the purpose of the extended process and/or long-form exception or the five year pre-publication substantive link
9. Summary of additional information required about outputs
  1. Maximum of 100 words
  2. Maximum of 300 words
Annex E: Managing conflicts of interest
1. Overview
2. Declarations of interest
3. Panel procedures
4. Requests for information
5. Declarations of minor interests
Annex F: Confidentiality and information security agreement
1. Overview
2. Purpose
  1. Rationale for confidentiality
3. Panel members' obligations
Index of definitions and data requirements
List of abbreviations