What is the RRE?
The RRE is an annual mandatory exercise for all REF-eligible staff. It involves peer review of research outputs, providing grades for the quality of individual research outputs published since 1st January 2021.
Why have an RRE?
The RRE is one element of our research strategy to help raise the quality of research across the University, to improve the quality of internal management information and to enable us to prepare our submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF2029). We are grateful for the time that you take to complete the exercise.
What do I need to do?
Log into Pure and click on the title of the research output you wish to request a review for. Select ‘reviews’ from the left-hand menu and then ‘add review’. Be sure to click ‘save’ after you have created your review request. You will need to do this for each output, up to a maximum of four outputs.
A step-by-step guide will help you complete this process, and also outlines the information required by your faculty.
Only propose outputs that you believe are likely to be judged internationally excellent (3*) or world-leading (4*) based on the REF 2021 criteria.
You do not need to re-request a review of outputs previously proposed for a faculty-led RRE in 2024 (FHUMS and FBMH). These requests are held in Pure.
It is recognised that some staff may not have any (new) 3* or 4* outputs since the last RRE. In these cases, no outputs should be proposed. However, individuals should contact their Faculty RRE/ RRE Manager to notify them that this is the case.
Do I have to complete the RRE?
The RRE is mandatory for all REF-eligable staff. It includes all staff on the University payroll who are independent researchers (in REF2021 terms*). This means the following staff are not included:
- Staff with explicit teaching-focused or teaching and scholarship contracts.
- Research assistants and research associates.
Eligible members of staff will be contacted directly via email to ask them to complete the RRE ahead of the deadline.
*Academic staff with a contract of employment of 0.2 FTE or greater, on the payroll of the submitting institution on the census date, whose primary employment function is to undertake either ‘research only’ or ‘teaching and research'. Research assistants and associates are not eligible to be returned to the REF unless, exceptionally, they meet the definition of an independent researcher on the census date and satisfy the above requirements. RA’s are not eligible purely on the basis that they are named on research outputs.