Clinical academics' experiences of REF2021

Angharad P Davies; Robert McKinley; Mark Gabbay; David Katz; W David Strain

doi:10.1016/j.clinme.2023.100002

Clinical academics' experiences of REF2021

Clin Med (Lond). 2024 Jan;24(1):100002. doi: 10.1016/j.clinme.2023.100002. Epub 2024 Jan 22.

Authors

Angharad P Davies¹, Robert McKinley², Mark Gabbay³, David Katz⁴, W David Strain⁵

Affiliations

¹ BMA Women in Academic Medicine Group, London; Professor and Honorary Consultant Medical Microbiologist, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, UK. Electronic address: Angharad.p.davies@swansea.ac.uk.
² Emeritus Professor of Academic General Practice, Keele University School of Medicine, Newcastle-under-Lyme, UK.
³ Professor of General Practice, Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
⁴ Emeritus Professor of Immunopathology, University College London, London, UK.
⁵ BMA Medical Academic Staff Committee; associate professor of cardiometabolic health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.

Abstract

The UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) is an assessment of the quality of research carried out in UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), performed in 7-year cycles. The outcome impacts the rankings and funding of UK HEIs, which afford the exercise high priority. Much of what REF measures is known to be biased against academics with protected characteristics: for example, women and ethnic minority researchers are less likely to win grants or be published in prestigious journals. Despite changes to REF since 2014, the risk remains that the process might amplify well-recognised existing disparities. The BMA Women in Academic Medicine and Medical Academic Staff Committee carried out a survey of UK clinical academics' experiences of REF2021. The data indicated the persistence of activities previously characterised as 'extremely harmful' in Research England-commissioned work, affecting up to 10% of clinical academics. While acknowledging the limitations of the data, women appeared to be disproportionately affected.

Keywords: Clinical academia; REF.

MeSH terms

England
Ethnicity*
Exercise
Female
Humans
Medical Staff
Minority Groups*