REF 2021: Outputs of special circumstances staff ‘just as good’

Research England says it supported “inclusion of staff without penalty”

Academics reporting special circumstances that affected their ability to carry out research produced outputs of equal quality to those submitted by other researchers, according to the latest iteration of the Research Excellence Framework.

All academics at English institutions with “significant responsibility” for research were required to submit to the 2021 assessment exercise, which determines the amount of quality-related funding that universities receive from government.