The Research Excellence Framework Exercise for 2029

Arts and Humanities subjects are on the frontline in this crisis. Creative arts subjects have been especially grievously affected by university department closures and staffing cuts implemented in the current REF cycle.

We support the letter’s appeal for the following steps to be taken as REF arrangements are finalised:

(1) That all units should submit data on the number of compulsory redundancies and restructuring during the REF period as part of the PCE statement. This would help to mitigate the current concern that institutions are rewarded for excellent research performance by units which they then close or drastically reconfigure.

(2) That careful thought is given to how PCE statements are read and evaluated to mitigate against unconscious bias. This would help to counter the worry that contracting units may be unfairly punished on the criteria of vitality and sustainability.

(3) That output portability is permitted so that past and present employers within a REF cycle may each claim a link to a researcher’s published outputs, within an agreed number of years following publication.

The latter point is especially important if REF is not to exacerbate the already significant insecurity facing researchers in our fields. We share the EA’s concern for enabling a situation where HEIs benefit from the outputs of a department they have closed or by researchers they have sacked during a REF cycle. In addition to the points made by the English Association regarding the personal investment necessary for the completion of monographs and scholarly editions, we highlight also the comparable commitment needed for ambitious creative research outputs, which are similarly demanding of researcher time and resource.

We urge careful consideration of all of these points to ensure that REF continues to earn the confidence of researchers in our communities.