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Key points

Only propose research outputs that you believe are likely to be judged 3* or 4*, using REF 2021 criteria. There is no minimum requirement. It is recognised that this means some staff may have no new 3* or 4* outputs.

Propose up to a maximum of four outputs. You will not be required to re-request a review of outputs previously proposed for a faculty-led RRE in 2024. These requests are held in Pure.  

For all newly selected outputs, ensure that the record has an accurate DOI (Digital Object Identifier) visible or you are providing a hard copy to your School Research Office.

 

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 an output for review, first log in to Pure. Click on ‘research outputs’ from your Personal Homepage or using the ‘personal’ tab at the top of the page. Your publications should be listed in date order, the most recent first. If they are not, use the ‘sort by’ function towards the top right of the screen. Only outputs published since 1st January 2021 are eligible for review. 

Click on the title of the output you want to propose for review. Then select ‘reviews’ from the left hand menu and then ‘add review’.

Please refer to the Faculty specific guidance on the supporting information you need to provide. 

Click 'create' and then click 'save'. If you do not click save your entry will be lost. 

You should propose up to four research outputs that you believe are likely to be judged internationally excellent (3*) or world-leading (4*) using REF 2021 criteria.

You will be able to see which outputs you have proposed, including in a previous RRE (FHUMS and FBMH) by clicking on the ‘review’ tab of the individual publication record, or via the ‘My Reviews’ screen in your Pure account. 

Log into Pure 

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

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. 
  • Outputs published before you joined the University of Manchester are eligible for submission to RRE, as well as outputs published while employed here.
  • Journal articles and conference proceedings that do not meet the REF 2021 Open Access policy requirements should still be proposed for review.

  • 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?

    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.