In this latest contribution to our series of blogs on the REF, James Cleaver, Dr Gemma Derrick and Professor Simon Hettrick take a look at the potential implications for research assessment, were more open research practices adopted and a wider range of research outputs recognised.
It is pleasing to see a broad consensus that REF2021 has encouraged steps to be taken in the direction of more Open Research, and that the Future Research Assessment Programme has been open-minded about what the future of the REF could look like. And there is plenty more that could and should be done in all areas of Open Research, especially to create a more equitable and diverse research culture. To take one example, an opportunity for future iterations of the REF would be to consider how to assess the contributions and improve the recognition of the large number of supporting roles behind the researchers whose publications are assessed for the REF. This includes the likes of lab technicians, research managers, research software engineers, facilities managers, data stewards, lived-experience contributors and many more roles that are vital to research but overlooked by the academic system.
