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REF reviewing guidelines

Mock REF panel

These materials were created for the School of Computer Science Mock REF panel on 2 November 2015 to understand how better to write and aim for 4* outputs.

These are useful resources to understand more on differentiating between 3* and 4* outputs.

REF Impact

REF2014 guidance for impact case studies
  1. Template and guidance
  2. Guidance (yellow highlighted area)
  3. Panel criteria for impact (yellow highlighted area)
Additional information

Examples of evidence and indicators of impact

Economic impacts
  • Business performance measures, for example, sales, turnover, profits or employment associated with new or improved products, processes or services.
  • Licences awarded and brought to market.
  • Jobs created or protected.
  • Investment funding raised from UK and/or non-UK agencies (venture capital/Business Angel, and so on) for start-up businesses and new activities of existing businesses.
  • Evidence of critical impact on particular projects, products and processes confirmed by independent authoritative evidence, which should be financial where possible.
  • Priority shifts in expenditure profiles or quantifiable reallocation of corporate, non-profit or public budgets.
Impacts on public policy and services
  • Documented evidence of policy debate (for example, in Parliament, the media, material produced by NGOs).
  • Documented evidence of changes to public policy/legislation/regulations/guidelines.
  • Measures of improved public services, including, where appropriate, quantitative information; such information may relate for example to the quality, accessibility or cost-effectiveness of public services.
  • Documented evidence of changes to international development policies.
  • Measures of improved international welfare or inclusion.
Impacts on society, culture and creativity
  • Visitor or audience numbers and feedback.
  • Critical reviews in the media and/or other professional publications.
  • Evidence of public debate in the media or other fora.
  • Evidence of sustained and ongoing engagement with a group.
  • Measures of increased attainment and/or measures of improved engagement with science in non-HE education.
Health impacts
  • Evidence from clinical trials.
  • Measures of improved patient outcomes, public health or health services.
  • Documented changes to clinical guidelines.
  • Evidence of take-up and use of new or improved products and processes that improve quality of life in developing countries.
Impacts on practitioners and professional
  • Traceable reference to inclusion of research in national or services international industry standards or authoritative guidance.
  • Traceable references by practitioners to research papers that describe their use and the impact of the research.
  • New or modified professional standards and codes of practice.
  • New or modified technical standards or protocols.
  • Documented changes in knowledge, capability or behaviours of individuals benefiting from training.
Impacts on the environment
  • Sales of new products or improvements in existing products that bring quantifiable environmental benefits.
  • Traceable impacts on particular projects or processes which bring environmental benefits.
  • Evidence of generic environmental impact across a sector, confirmed by independent authoritative evidence.
  • Documented case-specific improvements to environment-related issues.
  • Traceable reference to inclusion of research into government policy papers, legislation and industry guidance.
  • Traceable reference to impact of research in planning decision outcomes.
  • Policy documentation.