The Research Excellence
Framework
Impact: the need for evidence
Professor Caroline Strange
22 June 2011
Assessment of Research Excellence
The REF will focus on three elements:
Quality of research outputs – primary focus.
65%
Wider impact of the research - demonstrable
benefits to the economy, society, public policy,
culture or quality of life.
20%
Vitality of the research environment - how our
research environment supports research and its
effective dissemination and application.
15%
Assessing the Impact of the Research
Sub-panels will be invited to identify and advise on
the need for additional assessors whose expertise
includes:
•
professional experience of making use of,
applying or benefiting from academic research,
i.e. focusing on impact.
For further information on panel membership, please see:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/ref/panels/
Criteria for Excellence
four-star (exceptional) - world leading
three-star (excellent) - internationally excellent
two-star (very good) - recognised internationally
one-star (good) - recognised nationally
unclassified
Impact
• HEFCE propose to assess the impact of a UoA as a whole
• Impact must be evident during the REF assessment period - but
research may have been undertaken earlier
• REF Impact Pilot Exercise (Clinical Medicine, Physics, Earth Systems
and Environmental Sciences, Social Work and Social Policy, English
Language and Literature)
Further information: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/ref/impact/
• Submissions will include: -
case studies (minimum of 2 case
studies for every UoA submitted; 1 case
study + a further case study for every
10 FTE staff returned for the UoA)
Scope of the impact assessment
• Impact includes social, economic and cultural benefits, (NOT
academic benefit) that has occurred during 1 Jan 2008 – 31 July 2013
• Impact may be at any stage of development or maturity but there
must be measurable impact.
• Impact from engaging with the public can be included but if there is
no evidence of its benefits, this will not be considered.
• Case studies must be focussed.
• Case study template will require information on:
 underpinning research and evidence of its quality
 how the submitting unit’s research contributed to the impact
 nature and extent of the impact
 references to independent sources to verify claims made.
Evidencing impact
• Excellence in research and impact go together
• Need to answer the ‘so what?’ question
• Improve your citation rating – ensure papers have ‘catchy’ short
titles; keywords are focussed; you are a clearly identifiable author
and use the same form of your name consistently
• In addition to a CV and a list of your publications, maintain an
‘impacts file’ that lists occasions of influence in a recordable and
auditable way
• Ensure easy access to information. Publishing some form of your
research in ARRO is essential so that readers external to academia
can access it.
• Improve communication through, for example, multi-author blogs
• Disseminate your research more broadly – cut out the ‘middleman’.
Impact case studies
Do:
• Know your strengths – ‘tacit’ knowledge may have the most impact
• provide strong examples from across the discipline range
• Name names and provide dates
• acknowledge the contributions of researchers from other institutions
• ensure that all information is given - panel members will not go
‘digging’ for further information
• Network and be known
• Remember that the more cited you are in the academic literature, the
more likely you will be cited in non-academic ‘Google’ references
Impact case studies
Do not:
• Include early-career researchers unless part of a research project
team for impact case studies
• Claim impact outside of the timeframe
• Underestimate the time needed to develop case studies:
Costs of preparing a submission
Low
11 person days / 27 FTEs / 4 case studies
High
194 person days / 519 FTEs / 53 case studies
Average overall effort = 0.5 person days / FTE submitted
This includes overview, cases and co-ordination and includes the time
of administrators and faculty staff
From: Feedback from pilot HEIs – for further information see the Technopolis report:
‘Feedback from the higher education institutions involved in the pilot’ at:
ttp://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/ref/pubs/other/re02_10/