REF urged to clarify support for all research roles

The future of research assessment programme promised a transformative change to the 2029 REF, which states “This will allow the submission of outputs by any staff member, including nonacademic staff” – REF 2028/23/01 section 74.

However, the guidance for the Contribution to Knowledge and Understanding added some ambiguity to the interpretation of “any staff member” which may lead to universities submitting output from only their academic staff. Two articles from Hidden REF committee members discuss the fall out of the CKU guidance and make the case for including outputs from all staff members.

Inclusive assessment needs stronger backing, say Gemma Derrick, Elizabeth Gadd, Simon Hettrick and James Baker in their article “Vague rules will not dispel the REF’s climate of caution“.

Ambition to improve research culture demands a clearer policy on staff eligibility, says Simon Kerridge in his article “REF guidance risks deterring submissions from non-academics”.