Research Excellence Framework (REF)
The latest iteration of the UK’s national research audit has fulfilled its aim to identify research quality across the whole system, says David Sweeney
Greater weighting helps medical institutions in particular improve overall positions
The University of Strathclyde tops the ranking, with Royal Holloway coming second
LSE tops the table with Bristol second and Oxford falling from first to sixth
Oxford and Cambridge rise up the table, replacing York and Manchester in the top two positions
London School of Economics leads in anthropology and development unit of assessment table
University of Exeter tops the table based on GPA
UCL leads area studies unit of assessment table based on GPA
York is out in front for modern languages and linguistics while Bristol and Nottingham move up
Newcastle University leads English language and literature subject table based on GPA
Kent, Leicester and University of East Anglia lead the quality rankings in history as Oxford and Cambridge exit top 10
King's College London tops rankings alongside the University of Manchester, while Warwick, Durham and Exeter excel
The University of Birmingham tops the ranking, with the universities of York and Kent climbing several places
University of Aberdeen tops table when ordered by GPA
Medicine-focused institutions perform strongly on metric given weighting in latest round of Research Excellence Framework
The University of Oxford came top with Birkbeck also moving up the rankings
Imperial College London on top for key Research Excellence Framework performance metric focused on quality
LSE finishes on top again as Cardiff and Leicester repeat strong performances
‘Golden triangle’ institutions perform strongly on metric which accounts for 15 per cent of overall Research Excellence Framework scores
Queen Mary University of London tops ranking, with Royal Holloway and the University of Manchester joint second
UCL tops table for law as Kent, SOAS and Birmingham significantly improve their standings
How we analyse the results of the Research Excellence Framework
Linking impact to funding is breeding mistrust, apathy and unrest. Researchers must be free to do the work they find most meaningful, says Mark Reed
Research-led teaching is undermined when academics’ research is pushed into areas only obliquely related to students’ interests, says Ian Pace
Politicians’ false claims to be implementing evidence-based policy risk undermining academia’s reputation, says Gary Thomas
Staggering REF over multiple years could cut costs and reduce ‘perverse’ hiring practices, consultation suggests
Anonymous interviews with UK university bosses reveal frustration with increased administrative costs associated with REF
Some scholars report that evaluation deters them from pursuing novel scholarship
Online profile seen simplistically ‘as a proxy for being a publicly engaged academic’, warn researchers
As an international review of the UK’s REF begins even before the assessment panels have done their work, has the exercise’s reliance on rereading published papers finally had its day? Might it be time for metrics? Or something else entirely? Jack Grove looks around the world for options
Block grants need to be divided up, but UK research quality does not depend on a regular national audit
Female representation now proportionate to UK academia as a whole, even if ethnic minorities still fall short
Former government science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman will lead international advisory body to examine reform of national research audit
The REF and TEF should be brought together, but adopting low-quality shortcuts would undermine the whole purpose, says Thom Brooks
Simpler options are imperfect but perhaps no more so than the panels’ unavoidably cursory ‘peer review’ of submissions, says Dorothy Bishop
In year before REF census, at a handful of institutions more than two-thirds of staff were reclassified
The focus of research evaluation on papers and grants excludes far too many vital contributions. We must change that, says Simon Hettrick
Rama Thirunamachandran says metrics could be effectively used to assess quality for many disciplines
Merging metrics for the REF, KEF and TEF would free up time for academics to become researchers once again, says Robert MacIntosh
More than 76,000 academics at 157 universities participating in research evaluation
Academics say its ‘unethical’ for universities to profit from work done by researchers who have since lost their jobs
No national delay to UK research audit, but Research England to consider granting more time for universities in emergency circumstances
Universities express concern about diversion of clinical academic staff to front-line services and impact of lockdown
Research excellence framework submission deadline still set for 31 March
Despite a pandemic-induced pause in March, research funders have concluded that submissions are ‘broadly on track’ and will not push deadline back again
Ministers’ eagerness to launch yet another review when so many others remain unpublished is testing the patience of universities, says Andrew McRae
Minister’s attack on academic publication culture suggests a move towards more holistic and team-based assessments of excellence, say experts
Science minister Amanda Solloway announces review of UK’s main research assessment exercise
Some staff whose work has been disrupted by pandemic can be excluded, and leeway on publication deadlines also introduced
UKRI says research organisations will have ‘greater financial incentive’ to invest in supporting scholars
Insistence on ‘excellent’ research is commonplace, but Europe’s biggest funders warn that it can damage integrity and foster ruthless competition when poorly defined
Manchester v-c also calls for rethink on REF and predicts UK will not join next EU research programme
Research Excellence Framework 2021 put on hold to allow universities to focus research efforts on virus battle
Both are too resource-intensive to be sustainable during this crisis, and their objectives can be achieved through other measures, argues Dorothy Bishop
Latest data show about a quarter of universities now have a fifth of full-time academics classed as teaching only
Consulting citation data would ameliorate the all-too-human shortcomings of departmental review, says a Russell Group professor
Big increase would represent less than three-quarters of eligible headcount suggested by official data
As we enter REF submission year, Nicholas Stern and David Sweeney urge universities to broaden their conception of a good submission
Oxford, Cambridge and UCL have been the big winners from changes to formula used to allocate quality-related research funding, analysis shows
Former universities minister says applied science is neglected as researchers chase publications for research excellence framework
