Impact Assessment in the REF

Impact Assessment in the Research Excellence Framework

Please note that the below information is based on the REF2021 guidelines. This page will be updated to reflect any confirmed changes to the next assessment when the official REF2029 guidelines are published.

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) takes place approximately every seven years and is used to assess the quality of research undertaken at UK higher education institutions. The impact component of REF was introduced in the 2014 assessment with the aim of measuring the societal benefits derived from implementation of excellent research.

For the purposes of the REF, impact is defined as:

"...an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia."

For REF2029, impact will make up 25% of the overall assessment with research outputs (50%) and people, culture and environment (25%) making up the remainder of the exercise.

A diagram which shows the breakdown of the REF assessment

Above: Overview of the assessment components that will form the basis of REF2029. An evaluation of research impact will make up 25% of the 2029 exercise and will be assessed using Impact Case Studies and a new disciplinary-level Impact and Engagement Statement.

The impact of the research conducted at UK Higher Education institutions is primarily assessed using Impact Case Studies, short (five-page) documents outlining how research conducted at the submitting institution has led to beneficial and demonstrable changes outside of academia.

Impact Case Studies have been used in the last two REF assessments and published examples can be found using the links to the official online databases below:

REF2014 impact case study database

REF2021 impact case study database

Impact Case Studies are assigned to one of 34 relevant academic subject areas known as Units of Assessment (UoA). The number of case studies submitted by a particular institution is linked to the number of full-time research-active staff assigned to each UoA. Therefore, larger units are required to submit more Impact Case Studies.

The below table provides an outline of the various sections that make up a REF Impact Case Study.

Sections of an Impact Case Study

The below table provides an outline of the various sections that make up a REF Impact Case Study:

Summary of the Impact (100 words)	This section concisely summarises the impacts detailed in the case study that are linked to underpinning research conducted at the submitting institution.
Underpinning Research (500 words)	This section is used to outline the research that has been carried out at the submitting institution that has subsequently resulted in impacts outside of academia. To qualify as ‘underpinning research’, the findings must have made a distinct and material contribution to the impacts outlined to the extent that the impacts would likely not have occurred otherwise.
References to the Research (up to six references)	Details of the key outputs from the research referred to in the previous section are listed here. All outputs listed must be available to REF panels on request. Typically, the body of work presented in this section must have been produced within 20 years of the REF submission deadline and must be linked to the submitting institution.
Details of the Impact (750 words)	This is the key section of the case study that details the changes that have occurred due to the underpinning research, whilst citing evidence to support the claims. Authors should outline how the underpinning research has led to impact, who the beneficiaries of the impact are, and how they have specifically benefited from the changes. Any impacts included must have occurred within the qualifying REF period.
Sources to Corroborate the Impact (up to 10 references)	Case studies are expected to include evidence to corroborate any changes that have been outlined in the document. In REF2021, up to ten pieces of evidence could be submitted for each case study and these were available to assessors on request. Evidence types can include testimonials from external partners corroborating the contribution of the research to specific changes, official reports that cite the research, URL links to websites containing relevant information, and links to official statistics demonstrating the impact achieved.

Assessment of Impact Case Studies

Following submission to the REF, impact case studies are evaluated by panels made up of academics and research users. Case studies are assessed in terms of the reach and the significance of the impacts stated, along with the quality of the accompanying corroborating evidence.

Reach - Refers to the extent and diversity of the impact beneficiaries. This need not simply refer to population size or geographic scope, but is concerned with the proportion of the targeted beneficiaries affected by the impact outlined in the case study
Significance - Refers to an assessment of the extent to which implementation of research has improved outcomes for the impact beneficiaries. How meaningful or valuable is the impact to those affected by the changes?

Case studies are ultimately given a rating of 1 to 4 stars, which are defined below.

4*	Outstanding impacts in terms of their reach and significance.
3*	Very considerable impacts in terms of their reach and significance.
2*	Considerable impacts in terms of their reach and significance.
1*	Recognised but modest impacts in terms of the reach and significance.
Unclassified	The impact is of little or no reach and significance; or the impact was not eligible; or the impact was not underpinned by excellent research produced by the submitted unit.

The individual scores assigned to individual impact case studies are not published. Instead, each UoA receives a breakdown of the percentage of the submission that achieved a particular star rating.