Perceptions of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2014 - A small survey of academics

Oct 15, 2026

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Australian Universities’ Review paper examines perceptions of the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 and its predecessor RAE through findings from a small survey of social science academics. It highlights concerns about REF’s validity as a proxy for research quality and its influence on research behaviour, alongside frequent morale issues. Responses are largely negative, yet many stress REF’s accountability and transparency benefits, while heavy teaching and administration burdens are also cited as compounding pressures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

REF’s role in determining research quality and funding

Survey findings on validity, research behaviour, and morale

Accountability, transparency, and time-management pressures

A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W Perceptions of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2014 A small survey of academics Tony Murphy Sheffield Hallam University Daniel Sage University of the West of Scotland Earlier work inspired by a body of literature raised important questions about the workings of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) and its predecessor the Research Assessment Framework (RAE), and noted the possible adverse outcomes of such processes. This paper builds on this by examining the findings of a small survey of social science academics. The survey identified concerns about the validity of the REF as a proxy for quality, and the role it has had in shaping patterns of research behaviour. There were also frequent concerns related to morale. Yet although responses tended to be negative, there was also a significant voice signalling the importance the REF plays in ensuring accountability and transparency in research, as well as a sense that the pressures that come with such processes are simply ‘part and parcel’ of academic life. The role of wider time-management factors, related to heavy teaching and administration burdens, was also signalled, and cited by some as overshadowing the pressures of REF. Keywords: impact, intellectual freedom, pressures to publish, research assessment, Research Excellence Framework Introduction The UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) is used to determine the ‘quality’ of research activity within UK universities, which subsequently informs research funding allocation from the major funding bodies (REF, 2012). Replacing the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the REF has just completed its first cycle involving the assessment of research undertaken between 2008 and 2013.This utilised 36 units (subject areas) of assessment, each assessed by sub-panels of subject experts. The submissions from universities were placed in categories of overall quality, from ‘one-star’(1*) to ‘four-star’(4*) (as well as an ‘unclassified’ category). These categories were determined by the weighted sub-profiles of ‘output’,‘impact’, and ‘environment’. Research rated as ‘4*’indicates that it is ‘world-leading’, whilst ‘one-star’denotes research of national recognition (REF, 2012) . The results were published in December 2014 and have prompted a multitude of press reporting and claims of success from universities across the UK, who arguably chose to interpret the results in the manner most sympathetic to them. On the REF results day, The Times Higher Education published a ‘table of excellence’pertaining to vol. 57, no. 2, 2015 Perceptions of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2014 Tony Murphy & Daniel Sage 31 A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W the overall grade-point average for university submissions (Jump, 2014a).The same article also offered an alternative ranking, this time based on grade-point average specifically relating to ‘impact’. This offered a revised order of universities. On the same day, the Telegraph published a different ranking, this time based on‘research power’, where the actual volume of research is integral to the placing of an individual institution (Telegraph, 2014).This ranking is a closer proxy to the likely funding allocations as a result of the REF and, importantly, varies significantly from other rankings. The proportion of 4* research, or proportion of 4* plus 3* have also been used to confirm ranking. Not surprisingly, on university websites and in press releases, universities carefully chose which measure to cite. Thus, any one of a handful of universities can claim to be the ‘best’ in the country for research. The Guardian picked up on this in an article that asked whether the REF has ‘been drowned out by its own noise’. In the Guardian article, it was suggested that when 25 university departments can claim to be in the top three for research in their field, which appears to bethe case among

FAQs

What purpose does the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) serve?

The REF is used to determine the ‘quality’ of research activity within UK universities, which then informs research funding allocation from major funding bodies.

What concerns did the survey identify about REF 2014?

The survey highlighted worries about REF’s validity as a proxy for quality and its role in shaping patterns of research behaviour, with frequent concerns related to morale.

Why do some academics still view REF positively?

Some responses emphasized that the REF helps ensure accountability and transparency in research, and that the pressures linked to such processes are part of academic life.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben