Today the results of #REF2021 have been announced, and the Department of Economics has contributed to two successful entries into the exercise – we go into both Business and Management Studies, and Anthropology and Development.

Across these two submissions, to which we made significant contributions, between 86% and 91% of our research output has been classed as internationally excellent (4* and 3*). We contributed an Impact case study to Business and Management, and hence contributed towards 100% of impact being scored 4* and 3* in that Unit of Assessment, and we contributed in both departments to the Research Environment being considered to be conducive to producing research of internationally excellent or world-leading quality and enabling very considerable or outstanding impact, in terms of its vitality and sustainability.

We’ve been part of a particularly strong submission for Development, from our Global Development Research Division into which a number of our staff contribute. That submission was ranked 9th in the UK overall.

We’re really pleased that our research is being highly regarded in such evaluation exercises, and it reflects the fact we continue to do well in other rankings, not least the Ideas/RepEc rankings.

More information:

  • https://www.reading.ac.uk/news/2022/University-News/REF-Results-2021
  • https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ref-2021-subject-rankings
  • https://wonkhe.com/blogs/understanding-the-ref-2021-results/