Consultation on panel criteria and working methods

Consultation process

The REF panels and REF team are consulting on the criteria and working methods that panels will employ when assessing submissions:

• Part 1: A generic statement of criteria that will be applied by all panels

• Part 2: A statement of the criteria and working methods developed by each of the four Main Panels

• Responses must be made online at www.ref.ac.uk

• Consultation closes on 5 Oct 2011

• Final criteria and working methods to be published in Jan 2012

Generic statement of criteria

Part 1 sets out:

• How all panels will operate within the common framework and generic criteria for assessment

• General procedures to be followed by all panels (for example, regarding collective decision making, confidentiality and managing conflicts of interest)

• Proposed generic ‘tariffs’ to determine the number of outputs that may be reduced for staff with clearly defined circumstances; and options for taking account of maternity leave

Main panel statements of criteria

Part 2 sets out:

• The criteria and guidance of each main panel and its sub-panels, relating to:

• Submissions and UOAs

• Outputs

• Impact

• Environment

• The working methods of each main panel and its sub-panels

Consultation questions: generic

• Consistency between the four main panels

• Individual staff circumstances (to be discussed in the

Equality and Diversity session)

Consultation questions: main panel

• Consistency between the group of sub-panels

• UOA descriptors

• Expectations about multiple submissions

Consultation questions: main panel

• The clarity and appropriateness of criteria relating to

outputs, including:

- Criteria and level definitions

- Output types

- Co-authorship

- Double-weighted outputs

- Additional information

- Use of citation data

Consultation questions: main panel

• The appropriateness and helpfulness of the criteria and

guidance relating to impact including:

- The range of impacts

- Evidence of impacts

- Assuring the quality threshold for underpinning research

- The impact template

- The criteria of ‘reach and significance’

Consultation questions: main panel

• The clarity and appropriateness of criteria relating to

Environment including:

- Information requested in the environment template

- Use of data

- The criteria of ‘vitality and sustainability’

• The clarity and appropriateness of the working methods

Consultation responses

• Responses will help us refine the criteria and working methods

• A separate response should be made for each main panel criteria statement

• Must be made online www.ref.ac.uk by midday, 5 October 2011

• Enquiries: admin@ref.ac.uk