Research Excellence Framework

The extent of research‘s cross-subsidisation by overseas student fees is too rarely understood by policymakers and academics alike, says Ruth Arnold

There is no evidence in art and design that the REF drives a wedge between research and students' interests, says Victoria Kelley

REF supremo David Sweeney and Manchester research lead Colette Fagan hit back at criticisms of measuring societal and economic contributions

University of Oxford leads education subject table based on GPA

The University of Cambridge claims top spot, with the London School of Economics dropping to fourth

London School of Economics tops economics and econometrics subject table based on GPA

University of Reading leads archaeology unit of assessment table based on GPA

Durham and Bristol tied at the top as King’s College London, Loughborough and Northumbria make gains

University of Cambridge leads architecture, built environment and planning unit of assessment table based on GPA

Imperial College London leads engineering subject table based on GPA

Imperial College London is in pole position after near-perfect scores while the University of Edinburgh tops research power standings

Oxford and Cambridge dominance in mathematics continues as Glasgow and Edinburgh improve standings

The University of Sheffield climbs to the top, while Manchester and Cambridge are second and third

University of Cambridge tops earth systems and environmental sciences table based on GPA

The University of Bristol came top for chemistry, with the University of Cambridge coming second

Queen’s University Belfast tops agriculture, food and veterinary sciences table based on GPA

The Institute of Cancer Research retained its place at the top, with the University of Dundee also staying second

King’s College London tops subject table for allied health professions, dentistry, nursing and pharmacy, based on GPA

Imperial College London climbs from seventh to first as Oxford falls to third

Imperial, Cambridge and Bristol all climb a place while Oxford drops from first to fourth

Leicester and Glasgow clinch spots among top five as Cambridge leads the chart, with Oxford first for research power

The REF may no longer be the only game in town, but it remains a dominant force in UK research. So as the REF 2021 results are released, is it still fit for purpose?

Main panel C records biggest increase in number of submissions and participating staff

Although major players still dominate on research power, some large – and small – regional institutions have made their mark

Four in five outputs judged to be either ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’

The latest iteration of the UK’s national research audit has fulfilled its aim to identify research quality across the whole system, says David Sweeney

Greater weighting helps medical institutions in particular improve overall positions

The University of Strathclyde tops the ranking, with Royal Holloway coming second

LSE tops the table with Bristol second and Oxford falling from first to sixth

Oxford and Cambridge rise up the table, replacing York and Manchester in the top two positions

London School of Economics leads in anthropology and development unit of assessment table

University of Exeter tops the table based on GPA

UCL leads area studies unit of assessment table based on GPA

York is out in front for modern languages and linguistics while Bristol and Nottingham move up

Newcastle University leads English language and literature subject table based on GPA

Kent, Leicester and University of East Anglia lead the quality rankings in history as Oxford and Cambridge exit top 10

King's College London tops rankings alongside the University of Manchester, while Warwick, Durham and Exeter excel

The University of Birmingham tops the ranking, with the universities of York and Kent climbing several places

University of Aberdeen tops table when ordered by GPA

Medicine-focused institutions perform strongly on metric given weighting in latest round of Research Excellence Framework

The University of Oxford came top with Birkbeck also moving up the rankings

Imperial College London on top for key Research Excellence Framework performance metric focused on quality

LSE finishes on top again as Cardiff and Leicester repeat strong performances

‘Golden triangle’ institutions perform strongly on metric which accounts for 15 per cent of overall Research Excellence Framework scores

Queen Mary University of London tops ranking, with Royal Holloway and the University of Manchester joint second

UCL tops table for law as Kent, SOAS and Birmingham significantly improve their standings

How we analyse the results of the Research Excellence Framework

Linking impact to funding is breeding mistrust, apathy and unrest. Researchers must be free to do the work they find most meaningful, says Mark Reed

Research-led teaching is undermined when academics’ research is pushed into areas only obliquely related to students’ interests, says Ian Pace

Politicians’ false claims to be implementing evidence-based policy risk undermining academia’s reputation, says Gary Thomas

Staggering REF over multiple years could cut costs and reduce ‘perverse’ hiring practices, consultation suggests

Anonymous interviews with UK university bosses reveal frustration with increased administrative costs associated with REF

Some scholars report that evaluation deters them from pursuing novel scholarship

Online profile seen simplistically ‘as a proxy for being a publicly engaged academic’, warn researchers

As an international review of the UK’s REF begins even before the assessment panels have done their work, has the exercise’s reliance on rereading published papers finally had its day? Might it be time for metrics? Or something else entirely? Jack Grove looks around the world for options  

Block grants need to be divided up, but UK research quality does not depend on a regular national audit

Female representation now proportionate to UK academia as a whole, even if ethnic minorities still fall short

Former government science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman will lead international advisory body to examine reform of national research audit

The REF and TEF should be brought together, but adopting low-quality shortcuts would undermine the whole purpose, says Thom Brooks 

Simpler options are imperfect but perhaps no more so than the panels’ unavoidably cursory ‘peer review’ of submissions, says Dorothy Bishop