Queen Margaret University Code of Practice Revised April 2021
The University acknowledges its obligations to comply with equality legislation. It is committed to supporting and promoting equality in research, and to transparency and fairness in decisions concerning the representation of the excellent work of all staff. In this REF 2021 Code of Practice, we set out our processes on:
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The fair and transparent identification of staff with Significant Responsibility for Research (SRR).
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Determining who is an Independent Researcher.
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The selection of outputs.
The REF 2021 Code of Practice will be implemented in line with the following guidance produced by the four UK Higher Education Funding Bodies and available on their REF 2021 website:
- REF 2021 (2019) Guidance on Submissions.
- REF 2021 (2019) Panel Criteria and Working Methods.
- REF 2021 (2019) Guidance on Codes of Practice.
- REF 2021 Summary of Abbreviations and REF 2021 Summary of Definitions are detailed in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 of this document.
The REF 2021 Code of Practice will ensure that our procedures and processes for REF 2021 do not discriminate unlawfully against, or otherwise have the effect of harassing or victimising individuals because of age, disability, faith/belief, gender identity, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, sex and sexual orientation.
In developing and implementing its REF 2021 Code of Practice, the University is committed to the principles behind the key policy decisions underpinning the requirement that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) submit all staff with SRR. The University acknowledges that this change has been introduced in response to concerns that selecting staff in previous assessment exercises had potentially deleterious effects on individuals, their career choices, progression and morale.
The REF 2021 Code of Practice is consistent with the HR Excellence in Research Award, which was awarded to the University by the European Commission in 2011 and retained after an 8 year peer review in 2019. Fixed-term and part-time staff will not be treated any less favorably than comparable employees on open contracts or working full-time.
Central to our submission to REF 2021 will be an institutional-level environment statement, providing evidence about how equality and diversity in research careers is supported and promoted across the institution.
Definition of Research and Impact for REF 2021
The following REF 2021 definition of Research and Impact, as cited and detailed in the REF 2021 (2019) Guidance on Submissions, will underpin the REF 2021 Code of Practice and wider REF 2021 activities.
Definition of Research for REF 2021 (Further details in REF 2021 (2019) Guidance on Submissions)
For the purposes of REF 2021 research is defined as a process of investigation leading to new insights, effectively shared. It includes work of direct relevance to the needs of commerce, industry, culture, society, and to the public and voluntary sectors; scholarship; the invention and generation of ideas, images, performances, artefacts including design, where these lead to new or substantially improved insights; and the use of existing knowledge in experimental development to produce new or substantially improved materials, devices, products and processes, including design and construction. It excludes routine testing and routine analysis of materials, components and processes such as for the maintenance of national standards, as distinct from the development of new analytical techniques. It also excludes the development of teaching materials that do not embody original research. It includes research that is published, disseminated or made publicly available in the form of assessable research outputs, and confidential reports.
Definition of Impact for REF 2021 (Further details in REF 2021 (2019) Guidance on Submissions)
Scholarship for REF 2021 is defined as the creation, development and maintenance of the intellectual infrastructure of subjects and disciplines, in forms such as dictionaries, scholarly editions, catalogues and contributions to major research databases.
Key REF 2021 Dates
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Definition |
Date or Time Period |
Description |
|---|---|---|
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Census Date |
31 July 2020 |
Census date for staff at the end of assessment period (for research impacts, the research environment, and data about research income and research doctoral degrees awarded). |
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Publication Census Period |
1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020 |
Details of assessable outputs that the submitted unit has produced during the publication period. |
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Impact Census Period |
Impact Achieved
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Case studies describing specific examples of impacts achieved during the assessment period that are underpinned by excellent research. |
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Research Income and Doctoral Degrees Awarded |
1 August 2013 to 31 July 2020
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Data about research doctoral degrees awarded, research income and income-in- kind related to the period. |
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Environment Institutional and Unit Level Census Period |
1 August 2013 to 31 July 2020 |
An institutional level environment statement, and a completed template describing |
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Submission Date |
27 November 2020 |
Closing Date for Submissions.
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How the REF 2021 Code of Practice Relates to Broader Institutional Policies/ Strategies that Promote and Support Equality and Diversity and Update on Actions taken since REF 2014
