The REF2014 assessment phase was a process of expert review, informed by indicators where appropriate. For details of the REF2014 panel members please see panel membership. During 2014, each submission was assessed on three elements:
- Research Outputs (65%) which was assessed by peer review, informed (where appropriate) by citation information
- Impact (20%) assessed the benefits of the research undertaken on economy and society
- Environment (15%) considered the research strategy, infrastructure and environment, including research income and research degrees award
Published results: REF quality profiles
Sub-panels judged the three distinct elements of the assessment to produce a sub-profile for each element. The overall quality profile comprises the aggregate of the weighted sub-profiles produced for outputs, impact and environment, for example:
The overall quality profile shows the proportion of research activity in each UoA submission assessed to meet the definitions at each starred quality level, for example:
| Unit of Assessment A | FTE Category A staff submitted | 4* | 3* | 2* | 1* | u/c |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University X | 50.45 | 18 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 0 |
| University Y | 65.2 | 12 | 32 | 45 | 10 | 1 |
The definitions of the overall starred quality levels are as follows:
| Star level | Definition |
|---|---|
| 4* | Quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
| 3* | Quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour but which falls short of the highest standards of excellence. |
| 2* | Quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
| 1* | Quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
| Unclassified | Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work. Or work which does not meet the published definition of research for the purposes of assessment. |
