{"id":70,"date":"2017-12-13T10:44:15","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T10:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.plymouth.ac.uk\/research\/?p=70"},"modified":"2017-12-13T10:44:15","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T10:44:15","slug":"ref-faq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.plymouth.ac.uk\/research\/2017\/12\/13\/ref-faq\/","title":{"rendered":"REF FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/i>Will HEIs be able to decide into which UOA staff are submitted?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Yes. Responsibility for mapping staff into UOAs will remain with institutions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Is staff FTE calculated at submitting unit or institutional level?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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The number of outputs for each submission will be calculated by multiplying the total FTE of \u2018Category A submitted\u2019 staff in the submitting unit by 2.5. The FTE of staff across all submitting units in the institution should total the FTE of staff at institution level (except where an exclusion from submission has been given for a very small unit).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Will the FTE of staff whose outputs are submitted after they leave the institution be included in the volume measure and count towards the total FTE used to calculate the number of required outputs for the unit?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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No. The number of outputs for each submission will be calculated by multiplying the total FTE of \u2018Category A submitted\u2019 staff by 2.5.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>What will the \u2018rounding methodology\u2019 be, in determining the number of outputs for submission?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Rounding will be to the nearest whole number.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Can staff employed after the census date be submitted?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Staff employed after the census date will not be eligible for submission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Are institutions required to submit staff who have left the institution?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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No. The outputs of former staff optionally may be included in submissions, where the staff member was previously employed as Category A eligible when the output was demonstrably generated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Can outputs published while at a non-UK institution, or as an independent scholar, be submitted to REF 2021?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Yes, where they are within the publication period and meet any other applicable eligibility criteria, these outputs may be included in submissions by the institution employing the staff member on the census date.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Will institutions be able to include outputs of staff that have been made redundant?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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We note concerns that, in view of the institution\u2019s future intentions, the inclusion of outputs from staff made redundant may not represent a rounded view of the work carried out in the submitting unit. We will consult the main panels and the Equality and Diversity Advisory Panel on this issue, when considering the full set of eligibility criteria for output submission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Can research outputs sole-authored by Category C members of staff be submitted for assessment?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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No. To be eligible for return, outputs must be authored by \u2018Category A submitted\u2019 staff or staff previously employed as \u2018Category A eligible\u2019 when the output was first made publicly available. Outputs co-authored by Category C staff may be submitted within the min. 1 and max. 5 limits of the Category A staff co-author.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>What measures will be put in place to prevent institutions from hiring \u2018research superstars\u2019 on fixed-term 0.2FTE contracts?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Institutions will have to provide a written statement for all submitted staff on the minimum 0.2 FTE contract that describes the connection of the staff member to the submitting institution. This may include, for example, postgraduate research (PGR) student supervision responsibilities. This will also apply to former staff on 0.2FTE contracts whose outputs are submitted by their former institution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>How will the funding bodies define \u2018significant responsibility for research\u2019?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Staff with significant responsibility for research are those for whom explicit time and resources are made available to engage actively in independent research, and that is an expectation of their job role. The guidance on submissions and panel criteria will provide a menu of suggested indicators of significant responsibility for research that institutions might use when developing their processes. This guidance will not prescribe a fixed set of criteria that all staff would be required to meet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Will staff on \u2018teaching and research\u2019 contracts be required to demonstrate research independence?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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No. Evidence of research independence will only be required for staff on \u2018research only\u2019 contracts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Will institutions be required to submit staff on \u2018teaching and research\u2019 contracts who are required to undertake research as part of their role (e.g. through a doctoral research degree) but do not undertake research independently?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Where the institutional process for determining \u2018significant responsibility for research\u2019 includes an evaluation of research independence, this may be included in the Code of Practice. Further guidelines on the appropriate indicators of \u2018significant responsibility for research\u2019 will be provided in the guidance on submissions and panel criteria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>Does the REF assessment process distinguish between research outputs on the basis of mode of publication, place or publication or publisher?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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No. The REF is governed by a principle of equity and is committed to the fair and equal assessment of all types of research and forms of research output.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>What is the definition of \u2018interdisciplinary research\u2019 for REF purposes?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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The Interdisciplinary Research Advisory Panel will work with the expert panels in 2018 to develop a definition of \u2018interdisciplinary research\u2019 for the purposes of the REF that reflects the diversity of the research undertaken in this area.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>What expertise should interdisciplinary advisers hold?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Interdisciplinary advisers could come from a variety of research backgrounds: for example they may have experience of publishing IDR, managing complex IDR projects, leading IDR initiatives or research in the area of IDR practice. See our\u00a0blog on interdisciplinary research<\/a>\u00a0for further details.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/i>\u00a0What role will the interdisciplinary advisers play on the panels?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Interdisciplinary advisers will:<\/p>\n