Research Excellence Framework

The REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in the UK’s research institutions. It is held roughly every seven years.

7th for quality of research

92% research 3* / 4*

7subjects ranked in top 10

REF2021

Queen Mary consolidated its place among the UK’s top research institutions in the last REF. You can read the full results or generate bespoke reports on Research England’s dedicated Results and Submissions webpages, and browse the Impact Case Study Database.

How did we do?

REF2029

Queen Mary is preparing for our next REF submission in 2029. Our internal governance structure and other strategy documents are available to staff on our internal REF intranet page.

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Find out more about REF

The REF is a peer review process across 34 discipline-based panels, assessed by senior academics and expert laypeople. It assesses three distinct elements: the quality of research outputs; their impact beyond academia; and the environment that supports research.

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