REF 2029 Condensed guidance

Full guidance

1. Overview

• Weighting: CKU accounts for 55% of the overall quality profile.
• Purpose: Assesses a pool of research outputs to capture the unit’s diverse contributions to knowledge.
• Decoupling: Assessment moves from individual staff performance to disciplinary areas. Outputs are no longer strictly tied to volume-contributing individuals; there is no staff census. There is no minimum number of outputs required per staff member.
• Double-weighting: Permitted for outputs of extended scale/scope (eg monographs). Requires a 100-word justification.
• Open Access: Journal articles and conference proceedings must meet Open Access requirements. From 01 January 2026, the requirement is to upload outputs to Pure within 3 months of publication. The version uploaded to PURE should be the final submitted manuscript (AAM) prior to copy-editing and typesetting.

 

2. The "Substantive Link"

• Definition: Institutions must demonstrate a substantive link to every submitted output, proving the HEI enabled the research.
• Evidence: Verified via an eligible employment relationship with an author who made a significant contribution. This is checked via the HR record, not the affiliation on the output.
• Criteria: Minimum 0.2 FTE for at least 12 months continuous employment on a contract that includes research.
• Timing: Relationship must exist either when the output was made publicly available OR when the research was undertaken.
• Outputs from emeritus colleagues might be eligible in some cases. Please contact Sanna Melin Schyllert for advice.
• Longform outputs (e.g. monographs) are still portable within 5 years of publication.

 

3. Volume & Output Selection

• Formula: Total outputs = staff FTE × 2.5 rounded to the nearest whole number.
• Publication period: Outputs must have been brought into the public domain between 1 Jan 2021 – 31 Dec 2028.
• Where the publication was delayed beyond 31 December 2020 and was submitted to REF 2021, it cannot be resubmitted to REF 2029.
• Where the date on a publication is outside the publication period but the actual date of appearance is within the publication period, evidence of the actual date on which it became publicly available will be required for data verification purposes, such as a letter from the publisher.
• Diverse outputs: All formats (journals, code, performances, datasets, etc.) are assessed equally.
• Exclusions: Routine testing, teaching materials, and delayed outputs previously submitted to REF 2021 are ineligible.

 

4. Representativeness & Restrictions

• Statement of representation: A mandatory (non-scored) statement explaining how the selection represents the unit's full range of activity (disciplines, demographics, career stages). It informs the assessment of the Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE) element.
• The "max 5" expectation: There is an expectation of maximum 5 outputs associated with a single substantive link (HESA ID) per submission. Exceeding this requires justification in the Statement of Representation (part of the unit-level SPRE narrative). 
• What does a good justification look like? What happens if there are more than 5 outputs from the same staff member? We expect guidance on this in the Panel Criteria and Working Methods (autumn 2026). It has been clarified by Research England that this is a recommendation rather than a hard rule.

Full guidance

1. Overtime

• Weighting: E&I accounts for 25% of the overall quality profile.
• Focus: This element assesses specific examples of impact through Impact Case Studies (ICS).
• Key Shift: The proposed "Engagement and Impact Statement" has been removed. Broader engagement strategy and narratives are now assessed within the Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE) element.

 

2. Impact Case Studies (ICS) Requirements

• Definition of impact: An effect on, change, or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment, or quality of life, beyond academia.
• Submission format:
• We are still waiting for the REF2029 template. In the meantime here is the annotated REF2021 template.
• Word limit: A strict 2,200-word limit applies to the three substantive sections combined: Summary of Impact, Underpinning Research, and Details of the Impact.

 

3. Key Changes

• Removal of 2* threshold: Underpinning research no longer needs to meet a minimum 2* quality threshold. It simply needs to meet the REF definition of research. 
• Reduced minimums: The minimum number of ICS has been reduced.
• Units with <10 FTE can submit just 1 case study (optional; can submit 2).
• This aims to reduce the burden on smaller units.
• Assessment criteria: Case studies will be assessed on reach and significance. The guidance also encourages units to explain the rigour of process and ethical standards of their engagement activities within the case study.

 

4. Eligibility & Timing

• Impact period: Impacts must have occurred between 1 August 2020 and 31 July 2028.
• Underpinning research eligibility period: Research must have been produced by the submitting unit between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2028.
• Continuing case studies: Impacts that are a continuation of REF 2021 examples are eligible if they meet the new dates and criteria.
• COVID-19: No specific "COVID-delayed" extensions for impact; the standard window applies.

 

5. Strategic Alignment

The SPRE statement (Section 7) will capture the broader approach to engagement. Institutions should ensure their ICS provide the evidence for the claims made about engagement culture and strategy in their SPRE submission.

Full guidance

1. Overview

• Weighting: SPRE accounts for 20% of the overall unit quality profile.
• Replaces: The previous "Environment" template (REF 5a/5b).
• Structure: SPRE is split into two separately assessed statements:
1. Institution-Level Statement (ILS): Worth 60% of the SPRE score. Focuses on institutional strategy and support.
2. Unit-Level Statement (ULS): Worth 40% of the SPRE score. Focuses on implementation and local context.
• Definition of a unit: Recognizes the broadened definition of a "submitting unit," including the full research community beyond just volume-contributing staff.

 

2. The Four Assessment Sections

Both ILS and ULS use the same four-section template (evolved from REF 2021), but with flexible word counts across sections:

1. Context, Mission and Strategy: Includes the mandatory Statement of Representation (ULS).
2. People: Includes the Statement on the Research Community (ULS). Focuses on culture, careers, and support for all staff (researchers, technicians, research managers).
3. Income, Infrastructure and Facilities: Resources and physical environment.
4. Collaboration, Engagement and Impact: How the unit/institution supports responsible research and enables impact (narrative only; impact case studies are separate).

 

3. Key Unit-Level Requirements (ULS)

• Statement of Representation (SoR): A mandatory statement justifying how the submitted outputs represent the unit's full range of activity (disciplines, career stages) and explaining any concentration of outputs (e.g., >5 per substantive link).
• Statement on the research community: Describes the composition of the entire research ecosystem (roles, career stages, technicians, support staff) across the period, not just "submitted staff."
• Impact support: The ULS must describe the unit's approach to enabling and supporting impact (replacing the specific impact template parts from REF 2021).

 

4. Data & Indicators

• Quantitative data: Standard data (similar to REF 2021's REF4a/b) will be provided (e.g., doctoral degrees, income).
• Narrative indicators: Units/Institutions are encouraged to use a "basket" of qualitative and quantitative indicators (derived from the PCE Pilot) to support their narrative. The list of indicators can be found here.

 

5. Assessment Criteria

• Vitality & sustainability: The core criteria for assessment (same as REF 2021), but definitions will be updated to reflect the PCE focus.
• Holistic review: Statements are assessed holistically; data should support the narrative, not stand alone.
• Advisory panels: The People and Diversity Advisory Panel (PDAP) and Research Diversity Advisory Panel (RDAP) will advise on "People" and diversity aspects.