Recognising hidden contributions: insights from our third Hidden REF community call

Last week we held our third Hidden REF community call, bringing together 28 people from across the research ecosystem to continue conversations around recognition, not-traditionally submitted outputs (NTOs), and research culture.

This session focused on sharing examples, approaches, and practical challenges connected to recognising and talking about hidden contributions and not-traditionally submitted outputs in practice.

Across discussions, there was a strong focus on the practical and cultural barriers that still shape how NTOs are recognised, evaluated, and supported. Participants reflected on how institutional systems and REF processes often continue to reinforce traditional outputs, while making other forms of contribution harder to identify, describe, or assess.

People shared examples ranging from exhibitions, performances, films, and websites to software, datasets, workshops, and technical processes – highlighting both the diversity of research outputs and the challenge of fitting them into existing assessment structures.

Questions around evidence and assessment remained a major theme, including how NTOs can be fairly evaluated, how much contextual information is needed, and whether short statements are enough to communicate the value of complex or iterative work. Many also highlighted the important role institutional culture and decision-makers play in shaping what feels possible.

Alongside the challenges, there were encouraging examples of emerging practice – including institutional events focused on “diverse outputs” (DOTs), open research indicators, and new approaches to documenting creative and technical work.

As part of the community share slot, we heard from Veronica Cano (University of Edinburgh), who shared a diverse research output pilot exercise run by her college.

What’s next

As Hidden REF activity continues to grow, these community conversations are helping shape where we focus next – from the kinds of examples and resources people need, to the wider questions around recognition, assessment, and research culture that keep surfacing across the sector.

Alongside the Hidden REF competition and developing expert groups, we’re also expanding opportunities for more informal discussion and peer exchange. Our first community drop-in session will take place on Tuesday 23rd June, followed by the next community call on 28th July. You can find full details and register for both sessions on the Community Calls webpage.

The community share slot will continue as part of future sessions so if you have an example, project, resource, or approach you’d like to share with the community, please do use the form on the community call page to get involved.