Codes of practice on the selection of staff

If an HEI identifies an exceptional need to make significant changes to the content of its code of practice (COP) after it has been approved by the funding body, the HEI must provide a revised COP to the REF team, along with a covering letter from the head of institution. This letter should:

• Outline how the COP has been amended and the reason for the amendment.
• Confirm that the changes have not reduced the extent to which the COP adheres to the published guidance.
• Provide details of how the institution will communicate the changes to all relevant staff with ample time before final selection decisions are made.

The letter and revised COP should be uploaded to the REF extranet and an e-mail should be sent to info@ref.ac.uk to notify the REF team that this has been done. 

For minor changes to a COP, for example a change in an individual's membership of a committee, we will not require the HEI to follow the above procedure. Any changes made to selection procedures, the terms of reference of a committee, timetables and so on, will be considered significant changes to the content of a COP and will require the above procedure to be followed. Institutions should contact info@ref.ac.uk if they require any clarification on this point.

Final versions of COPs will be collected from all submitting institutions in early 2014, for publication along with the submissions in 2015.

Institutions can disseminate their code of practice when finalised, in advance of submitting this to the REF team. If any changes to the code are subsequently required by the relevant funding body following examination by EDAP, the institution will need to notify staff of the changes.