Proposing outputs

Please ensure that your research outputs are up-to-date in Pure before starting. You can find further guidance on adding content to Pure. The faculty-specific step-by-step guides below will help you to select which outputs you wish to propose, and also outlines the additional information required by your faculty.

To propose your outputs for review, Log into Pure.

From your 'Personal' tab, click the ‘Request REF2029 Review’ button.

A pop-up window will appear. You can use the search box for find new outputs you wish to propose for review. Once you have found the relevant output, click to select it. 

Please note that 10 records are shown on each page and you may need to use the forward and back arrows to locate more outputs. Only outputs published after 1st January 2021 are available to select. If you believe an output should be in scope but isn’t appearing in the list, please contact pure@manchester.ac.uk.

Faculty specific step-by-step guides will help you to complete this process, and also outline the information required by your faculty in the 'reason for review' box. 

Once complete, click the blue 'Request Review' button, noting your request will not be saved unless you click this button.

Repeat for any other 4* output(s) you wish to propose for review. The count of RRE requests shown on your Pure 'Personal' tab will automatically update. You can click on the number shown below the Requested header at any time to see which outputs you have proposed.

Only propose outputs that you believe are likely to be judged world-leading (4*) based on the REF 2021 criteria.

You do not need to re-request a review of outputs previously proposed for the RRE in 2024 or 2025. These requests are held in Pure.

It is recognised that some staff may not have any eligible 4* outputs at this stage in the REF cycle, or that they may not have any new 4* outputs since the last RRE. In these cases, no outputs should be proposed. However, in both instances, individuals should complete this short Microsoft Form to demonstrate engagement with this RRE. 

Only propose outputs published while you were employed at The University of Manchester – due to updated rules published by Research England, outputs published before you joined the University are no longer eligible.

To check which outputs you have previously put forward, go to the ‘REF2029 Reviews’ panel of your Pure Personal tab. Outputs previously proposed for review can be viewed by clicking on the count under the Requested header.

Log into Pure 

Get faculty-specific instructions on proposing outputs via the links below:

• Step-by-step guide on proposing outputs (FBMH)
• Step-by-step guide on proposing outputs (FHUMS)
• Step-by-step guide on proposing outputs (FSE) 

This short guide, including an annotated video, shows you how to propose outputs for review and how to check which outputs you have proposed previously. 

Eligibility of outputs

• Only propose outputs that have been published. 
• Only propose outputs published while you were employed at The University of Manchester – due to updated rules published by Research England, with some important exceptions, outputs published before you joined the University are no longer eligible for submission to REF 2029.
• Journal articles and conference proceedings that do not meet the REF 2021 Open Access policy requirements should still be proposed for review.

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  Adding output supporting text - Faculty guidance

  When proposing an output, it is mandatory to provide a comment, please follow advice from your Faculty as the requirements differ between faculties. 

  Read more

How do I choose which (if any) outputs to propose and prioritise?

First check if the output is eligible: Does it contain original research, where you have made a distinct and substantial contribution to the output? Has it been published since 1 January 2021? Was it published whilst you were employed at The University of Manchester?


Of your eligible outputs, we advise you to select those which you consider the best and most important pieces of work. Reviewers will assess the originality, significance and rigour of the piece, and these factors should be the main drivers when choosing your output, before you consider other indicators such as citations. As long as your contribution was significant, it does not matter whether you were a lead author. This means that your best outputs for RRE may not be the ones that you would choose for other purposes, e.g. making a promotion case, or demonstrating the breadth of your work.

If you need help in selecting your best outputs for RRE purposes, please contact your School Research Director or Institute Director in the first instance for advice.

  

The value of 2* (internationally recognised) research

Two star research is often the bedrock upon which 3* and 4* research is built. In all disciplines, research outputs which may not be considered internationally excellent or world-leading nonetheless play a crucial role in the research ecosystem by sharing data, supporting early enquiries, or following up on more significant advances. 

All researchers are likely to publish 2* outputs, but we expect that they will also publish research that would be judged as 3* or above. For the purposes of the RRE, in order to keep the reviewing task to a manageable load and to help with future REF preparation, we only request outputs reflecting higher quality research to be proposed. This means that the number of outputs proposed will vary between individuals, depending on their portfolio of outputs in the current assessment period.