Consistency across UOAs

Revisions were made to the panel structure for the 2014 REF and mechanisms were put in place to ensure that the standards of assessment were consistently applied across the REF units of assessment (UOAs). These mechanisms included calibration exercises within each main panel and sub-panel, main panel member attendance at sub-panel meetings, and main panels’ ongoing review of the standards being applied within the sub-panels. In signing-off the results, each main panel satisfied itself that standards had been applied consistently.

The charts below indicate that the average results produced by the REF sub-panels within Main Panels A, C and D have a narower range than in the 2008 RAE. The range of UOA average results within Main Panel B was relatively narrow in the RAE and remains similar in the REF.