For your REF

Everyone must play a part in shaping future research assessment

“Demotivation, damage and despondency.” These were the themes that Julie Bayley, the director of research impact development at the University of Lincoln, found among university staff when she asked them about their experiences of this year’s Research Excellence Framework. 

This picture of the sector, which Bayley drew at a conference in March, will be familiar to many after a REF cycle like no other. Existing concerns over the pressure the exercise places on researchers and research support staff have been exacerbated by the impact of the pandemic, despite the best efforts of Research England to make allowances by extending the deadline.