Proposing outputs

Please note, this page refers to pre-2021 Research Review Exercises. Future RRE guidance will be updatedd in due course. 

Please ensure that your research outputs are up-to-date in Pure before starting: the list of possible outputs you see on the “RRE” tab is pulled through from the list of “My research output” in the "Research output” part of your profile.

In the “Research Review Exercise” tab, outputs available for selection are listed on the left hand side. Any outputs that you selected in last year’s RRE will show on the right hand side. Outputs that have already been graded cannot be removed or reviewed again.

Click on any new output from the list on the left-hand side to start.  You should propose all of the outputs that you believe are likely to be judged internationally excellent (3*) or world-leading (4*). You can now submit as many sole and multi-authored outputs that you have. We expect that most individuals will have fewer than six new outputs to submit. Some staff may not have any new outputs published since the last RRE to proposed for review, and in these cases are simply checking their output record. In exceptional cases we may not review every output submitted by an individual.

You will be asked to choose the order that your items will appear in (First to Fifth Output, followed by “Other RRE output(s)”). This order will not be used for reviewing and will have no bearing on the grade it is given.

As well as clicking "update" after each output, when you are finished you click "save" or all changes will be lost.

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Get instructions on proposing outputs via the links below:

• Full step-by-step instructions on how to propose and modify outputs (PDF)

Eligibility of outputs

• Outputs that are not yet published can be proposed, however review of these outputs is at the school's discretion.

• Journal articles and conference proceedings that have failed to meet HEFCE's REF 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

  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 2014?


Of your eligible outputs, we advise you to select the best, most important pieces of work. Reviewers will assess 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.