51³Ô¹ÏÍø's REF 2029 Code of Practice is a governance framework which sets out how we make some of the key decisions that are required in preparing the REF 2029 submission.
Preparing our REF submission is a mammoth logistical and administrative task, involving teams from Departments, the four Faculties, Planning and Insight, Library Services, Research Office, People, Registry, Finance and ICT. To ensure that everyone has a shared understanding of our processes for REF 2029 and the principles that underpin them, and in accordance with the requirements laid out by Research England, our Code of Practice sets out our approach in detail. It describes how we make key decisions, including on research independence for research staff contracts, choice of outputs, and allocation of outputs to Units of Assessment.
Our overarching aim is to demonstrate the excellence of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's world-leading research, delivering a REF result which does justice to the hard work, dedication and excellence of our research community. Within that framework, and in line with REF guidance, we have adopted the following principles:
- Objectivity – wherever possible, we use data that has already been returned to Research England and other regulatory bodies for other purposes.
- Transparency – where we need to make decisions about what to return to the REF, we set out the processes through which those decisions are made using quantifiable metrics wherever possible.
- Inclusivity – we aim to make the REF submission inclusive of the diverse range of staff who undertake research at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, and the diverse range of areas that they research.