Published: 11 November 2026
Overview
As in REF 2021, REF 2029 is a process of expert review, in which institutions are invited to make submissions into Units of Assessment (UoAs).
Details of the assessment of interdisciplinary work and work that crosses UoA boundaries, including pedagogic research, are provided in sub-section 2., Section 5: Assessment criteria – submissions in the Panel criteria.
UoA descriptors
For REF 2029 each sub-panel has developed, for their UoA, a prose descriptor outlining the extent and scope of the disciplinary research they expect to receive as part of the REF 2029 submissions. Those descriptors are provided in full in Annex B: UoA descriptors and taxonomies in the Panel criteria.
Each main panel has also developed a descriptor that outlines key information as well as the main panel’s approach to interdisciplinary research (IDR). The main panel descriptors provided in this section of the Panel criteria, along with sub-section 1 of Section 5: Assessment criteria – Submissions in the Panel criteria, provide full guidance on where the main panels consider it appropriate for HEIs to aggregate disciplines into single submitted units. The main panel descriptors and IDR statements can be found in sub-sections 4 to 7 of this section as well as in Annex B: UoA descriptors and taxonomies in the Panel criteria.
Interdisciplinary research (IDR)
REF 2029 welcomes the submission of any output that meets the definition of research (see paragraph 5.3., Section 4 – CKU guidance in the Guidance) meaning a process of investigation, leading to new insights, effectively shared. All main and sub-panels recognise the overlapping boundaries in the sub-panel descriptors, and that research may often be interdisciplinary, spanning the boundaries between UoAs and/or between sub-disciplines/disciplines within UoAs. Sub-panels commit to ensuring excellence is recognised wherever it is found and to deploying the guidance laid out in the Panel criteria (see Section 6: Assessment criteria – CKU in the Panel criteria) to ensure robust and fair assessment, through the appointment of additional assessors and/or specialist advisors or through joint assessment or cross-referrals if judged necessary.
Main Panel A – Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Introduction
The UoAs within Main Panel A’s remit cover research into the practices, services, policies, education and underpinning science relevant to these disciplines, and associated methodological and theoretical advancement. The UoAs cover a full spectrum of research approaches, ranging from qualitative to quantitative, as well as theoretical and mixed method studies. This includes IDR and research that informs these areas from a range of stakeholders’ perspectives, including research users and service users.
Where it is relevant to the UoAs, submissions will be welcome whether the context is local, national or international, including work carried out in relation to low- and middle-income countries.
Approach to aggregation
REF 2029 expects that where possible, all outputs will be submitted to the UoA to which they align, based on UoA descriptors. However, Main Panel A recognises that HEIs may choose to group their research to reflect existing multi-disciplinary and multi-subject research groupings, interdisciplinary developments and structural arrangements or changes in the institution. Main Panel A also recognise that HEIs may have outputs that do not align to the UoA descriptors of any UoA to which they are able to make a submission. Main Panel A’s approach to aggregation is fully outlined in sub-section 1., Section 5: Assessment criteria – submissions in the Panel criteria.
Main Panel B – Physical Sciences, Engineering and Mathematics
Introduction
The six sub-panels that fall within Main Panel B invite submissions in UoAs 7 to 12 as set out in the relevant UoA descriptors. Each sub-panel expects to receive submissions whose primary research focus falls within the stated remit of its UoA.
Submitting units are encouraged to submit their strongest work, including interdisciplinary work, in the UoA where it is most appropriate. Sub-panels will draw upon the interdisciplinary expertise of their members to assess interdisciplinary work, using joint assessment and cross-referral where appropriate.
Approach to aggregation
REF 2029 expects that where possible, all outputs will be submitted to the Unit of Assessment to which they align, based on UoA descriptors. However, Main Panel B recognises that HEIs may choose to group their research to reflect existing multi-disciplinary and multi-subject research groupings, interdisciplinary developments and structural arrangements or changes in the institution. Main Panel B also recognise that HEIs may have outputs that do not align to the UoA descriptors of any UoA to which they are able to make a submission. Main Panel B’s approach to aggregation is fully outlined in sub-section 1., Section 5: Assessment criteria – submissions in the Panel criteria.
Main Panel C – Social Sciences
Introduction
The sub-panels of Main Panel C cover a diverse range of content, disciplines and methodologies. The sub-panels anticipate receiving research outputs, impact case studies (ICS), and SPRE statements which reflect that rich diversity, and have no pre-conceptions about where excellent research will be found.
Each sub-panel expects to receive submissions whose primary research focus falls within the stated remit of its UoA. Submitting units are encouraged to submit their strongest work, including interdisciplinary work, in the UoA where it is most appropriate.
Significant aspects of submissions in UoA 17 (Business and Management Studies) are expected to fall within the remit of UoA 16 (Economics and Econometrics). Where appropriate, economics and econometrics outputs submitted to UoA 17 will be cross-referred to sub-panel 16. There will be an option at the point of submission to tag economics and econometrics outputs submitted to UoA 17 with an additional category from UoA 16’s research specialism taxonomy. This will help to manage workloads and ensure that sub-panel 16 and sub-panel 17 have the correct mix of expertise to assess both directly submitted and cross-referred outputs.
Criminology is a multi-disciplinary subject concerned with crime, criminals and criminal justice. This could be submitted into various sub-panels. For the avoidance of doubt, it is recognised that much criminological research may fall within the boundaries of sub-panels 18 (Law), 20 (Social Work and Social Policy) and 21 (Sociology). All three sub-panels welcome such work, which will be assessed in accordance with the arrangements laid out in the Panel criteria, in particular making use of calibration exercises, joint assessors and cross-referral as deemed appropriate by the sub-panels. Following the assessment, the relevant sub-panels will review the health of UK criminological research, and will report on this in a discrete section of the panel overview reports.
Approach to aggregation
REF 2029 expects that where possible, all outputs will be submitted to the UoA to which they align, based on UoA descriptors. However, Main Panel C recognises that HEIs may choose to group their research to reflect existing multi-disciplinary and multi-subject research groupings, interdisciplinary developments and structural arrangements or changes in the institution. Main Panel C also recognises that HEIs may have outputs that do not align to the UoA descriptors of any UoA to which they are able to make a submission. Main Panel C’s approach to aggregation is fully outlined in sub-section 1., Section 5: Assessment criteria – submissions in the Panel criteria.
Main Panel D – Arts and Humanities
Introduction
The main panel is charged with identifying excellence in the rich diversity of research covered by its UoAs. The main panel and its sub-panels are committed to applying criteria and working methods that reflect the distinctive character, methodologies and full breadth of these disciplines, including IDR, and that facilitate the formation of a balanced range of judgements, without privileging or disadvantaging any particular form of research output, research methodology, topic, type of research environment or research impact.
Approach to aggregation
REF 2029 expects that where possible, all outputs will be submitted to the Unit of Assessment to which they align. However, the Main Panel D recognises that HEIs may choose to group their research to reflect existing multi-disciplinary and multi-subject research groupings, interdisciplinary developments and structural arrangements or changes in the institution or to achieve a critical mass in UoA submissions. Main Panel D also recognises that HEIs may have outputs that do not align to the UoA descriptors of any UoA to which they are able to make a submission.
Where HEIs have grouped research that falls across UoA boundaries in this way, these will be considered to be aggregate submissions.
Main Panel D’s approach to aggregation is fully outlined in sub-section 1., Section 5: Assessment criteria – submissions in the Panel criteria.
Taxonomies
In addition to the prose UoA descriptors, for REF 2029 each UoA has developed two disciplinary taxonomies. These taxonomies are distinct and used independently of one another. All outputs submitted to the exercise must be tagged at both levels (with an exception for outputs with a national security classification as outlined in sub-section 3.3., Section 2: Submissions in the Guidance). The two taxonomies for each UoA are provided in full in Annex B: UoA descriptors and taxonomies in the Panel criteria.
These two disciplinary taxonomies will be used, respectively, for determining the representativeness of submissions and for informing output allocation to assessors. Where relevant, sub-panels have provided additional guidance on how to assign outputs to research specialisms for the purposes of output allocation.
Broad research areas for determining the representativeness of submissions
Each output submitted to REF 2029 must be tagged as aligning with a broad research area in the UoA to which it is being submitted. Analysis conducted by the REF team will create an overall taxonomy profile for the outputs submitted by a submitting unit and this will be provided to sub-panels. The analysis will be used, alongside the Statement of Representation, to inform the assessment of unit-level SPRE statements with regard to the extent that the profile of submitted outputs supports the claims made in the statement.
It is anticipated that for IDR there may not always be a clear alignment with a listed broad research area, and in these circumstances the broad research area of best fit should be used.
HEIs should endeavour to choose the taxon of best fit from the broad research areas taxonomy for all outputs. Exceptionally, in cases where disciplines have been aggregated into a single submitting unit (in line with the main panel descriptors set out at sub-sections 4 to 7), it is possible that an output will not align with any of the broad research areas for the UoA. In these circumstances the taxon ‘Other for the purposes of aggregation’ should be used. This will allow the submitting HEI to indicate the UoA and relevant broad research area to which the output better aligns. This will be used to support the panels to arrange joint assessment or cross-referral if it is judged necessary.
Research specialism to inform allocation of outputs to assessors
Each output submitted to REF 2029 must be tagged as aligning with one primary and up to two secondary research specialisms in the UoA to which it has been submitted. This information will be used to inform the allocation of outputs to assessors during the assessment phase of the exercise.
It is anticipated that for IDR there may not always be a clear alignment with a listed research specialism/s, and in these circumstances the research specialism/s of best fit should be used to inform the allocation of the output to assessors. In cases where disciplines have been aggregated into a single submitting unit there may not always be a clear alignment with a listed research specialism/s, and in these circumstances either other for the purposes of aggregation or the research specialism/s of best fit should be used to inform the allocation of the output to assessors.
An exception to this exists for outputs submitted to UoAs 16 and 17 as outlined in paragraph 6.1.3.
All outputs submitted to REF 2029 must meet the descriptor for the UoA in which they are submitted as outlined in paragraph 12.2.1., Section 4: CKU guidance in the Guidance unless the conditions for aggregation of disciplines into a single submitting unit as outlined in sub-section 1., Section 5: Assessment criteria – submissions in the Panel criteria are met. The panels recognise that some research, particularly IDR, may align with more than one UoA descriptor or may fall between the boundaries of UoA descriptors. Accordingly, the panels recognise that their research specialism taxonomies are tools for output allocation rather than precise classifications and should be used for best fit.