The Research Excellence Framework is an exercise carried out periodically by the UK's higher education funding bodies. It is one of the ways UK universities receive research funding, based on the quality and impact of the research they undertake. The last REF took place in 2021 and the next is due to take place in 2029. For more about the REF, and the latest news about REF 2029, click here.
To be eligible for REF submission, research outputs must comply with the REF Open Access Policy. A new open access policy is currently in development for REF 2029. Research England have advised that the current policy (written for REF 2021) should be followed in the meantime.
If you have been accepted for publication, you must upload your author accepted manuscript to BGRO. To be REF complaint any publication with an ISSN (journal articles and some conference proceedings) must be deposited within three months of acceptance. Once the item is published you must inform the Library within three weeks of publication.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) also has its own open access policy (separate from the REF open access policy) relating to research attracting research council funding. If you think the policy may apply to your research, contact us.
1. Who does the REF policy apply to?
The policy applies to BGU staff members who author or co/author an article in a published journal or conference proceeding that has an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number). It does not apply to research students.
2. Which version of my article should be uploaded to BGRO?
The author-accepted manuscript. This is the final draft of your article, with all peer-review and other editorial changes complete, but before layout, formatting and sub-editing changes are applied by the publisher. An author-accepted manuscript is usually just a Word document.
3. When does my manuscript need to be uploaded?
Within three months of the date the item is accepted for publication.
4. What is classed as the acceptance date / publication date?
The acceptance date is usually stated in the acceptance letter/e-mail from the publisher. This is different from the publication date, which is the date upon which the item is first made available by the publisher to its readership. More often than not this is an 'early online' publication date, as opposed to a date an article is published in a specific journal issue (items published 'early online' do not have issue numbers or page numbers).
5. What if I fail to upload within 3 months of the acceptance date?
If you fail to upload your output within the specified period it will not be eligible for REF submission, as per HEFCE guidance which states:
"Any output submitted to the next REF that falls within the scope of this policy but does not meet its requirements or exceptions will be treated as non-compliant. Non-compliant outputs will be given an unclassified score and will not be assessed in the REF."
If your output is not deposited within three months of acceptance it may still qualify for the REF via an exception criterion. Exceptions are set out in the official REF Guidance on Submissions document. For advice on whether your output qualifies for an exception contact us.
6. Does my work have to be deposited in BGRO?
In order to be eligible for the REF, yes, even if your work has been published in an open access journal. BGU encourages all published research outputs to be deposited in BGRO even if they are not ultimately included in the university's REF submission. This is to ensure that all of BGU's research activity is open and visible to the wider world.
7. What if my publisher doesn't allow open access?
You still need to create a record in BGRO and upload your author-accepted manuscript.
8. What if my output is subject to embargo?
You still need to create a record and upload your author accepted manuscript to BGRO. Library staff will check the relevant embargo using Sherpa and ensure access is restricted until the embargo has expired. If an embargo applies, your output will still be compliant provided the embargo period does not exceed limits set out in paragraph 246 of the REF guidance on submissions document.