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What is the Research Excellence Framework?

You'll have probably seen the words Research Excellence Framework mentioned quite a bit during your university research. But what is it? And why does it matter? We’ve got all your questions answered…

Michelle Roberts
by Michelle Roberts
Last Updated:
05 Dec 2019

The Research Excellence Framework, or REF as it’s commonly referred to, is an assessment of the quality of academic research conducted in UK universities. If you are doing research into potential universities, then it’s likely you’ll have come across the term.

Here’s our guide to what it is, why it happens and whether it’s something you should take into account…

What is the Research Excellence Framework (REF)?

The REF is a periodic review that assesses the quality of research conducted by university departments. The first REF assessment was carried out in 2014 – before that it was called the Research Assessment Exercise.

It’s conducted by four higher education funding bodies – Research England, the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland.

The main aim of the REF is to help those funding bodies decide where to allocate future funding for research.

It also provides a way of making universities accountable for that investment and to make sure they are using it in the most beneficial way for the wider public and greater good.

How Often Does the REF Assessment Take Place?

The first ever Research Excellence Framework assessment took place in 2014 and the next one is currently underway. The closing date for submissions is November 2020, with the results published in December 2021.

How Does the REF Work?

In 2014, the research of over 52,000 university academic staff from 154 UK universities was peer-reviewed by a number of UK and international experts – including senior academics and research users.

Each piece of research submitted to the review was assessed in three areas:

Outputs – the quality of the actual research publications (journals, books etc.), patents, or exhibitions that were produced as a result of the research.

Impact – the economic and social impact that this research had on a domestic and global level.

Environment – the quality of the environment that the research took place in.

The process has been slightly amended for REF2021: instead of a select amount of research staff submitting their research, all staff with ‘significant responsibility for research’ will now have to submit work.

How Does the REF Rate Universities?

After all the research submitted by each university has been assessed, the university is given a ‘quality profile’ which shows the percentage of their research that meets each of the five quality ratings below:

Four Star – The research is classed as world-leading across all three assessment areas. It is considered highly original, with significant social impact and conducted in a top-quality environment.

Three Star - The research is still classed as internationally excellent, but falls short of the highest standards.

Two Star – Research is recognised internationally in terms of its originality and impact.

One Star - Research is recognised nationally in terms of its originality and impact.

Unclassified – Is below the standard of quality to be nationally recognised research.

What Were The Results of the Last REF?

The University of Oxford was the top uni in the REF 2014 review – it performed well across all categories, especially the Impact category.

University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, King’s College London and University of Edinburgh were also some of the highest ranked universities by REF 2014.

Why Does the REF Matter and Who Does it Matter to Most?

The REF matters most to the universities themselves, as the results predominantly determine how much funding universities get for future research projects. There’s over £2 billion of funding a year available, so performing well in the REF and getting a big slice of that pie is a big priority for a university.

It also matters from a prestige standpoint. High scores are great for a uni's reputation – and in the dog-eat-dog world that higher education has become, reputation means everything to a university.

REF results are often used as one of the bases of higher education league tables, which are used by both students and prospective staff looking for a university to study and or work.

In regards to students, those looking to do Postgraduate research-led degrees would be most interested in a high-scoring REF university.

For undergraduates, the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) award is probably more relevant to what choices you make. However, the REF is a good marker of quality of staff and teaching (as many unis use their research as the basis for their teaching), so it's worth taking in to account.

Still searching for the right uni? Head right this way...

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