City's researchers produce world leading and internationally excellent research, as measured by the Research Excellence Framework (REF).
The results of REF 2021, which assessed research quality at all UK higher education research institutions, showed City, University of London making significant progress compared to the previous exercise in 2014. Now we are building towards even better results for REF 2028.
Excellent research from excellent staff
The results of REF 2021, published by UKRI in May 2022, found:
- 86% of City research rated as world leading 4* (40%) and internationally excellent 3* (46%) quality (based on City's submission to the REF).
- A marked increase in research quality compared to the 2014 REF when 75.7% of research at City was rated as 4* (23.3%) and 3* (52.4%).
- The proportion of City’s research rated world–leading (4*) has almost doubled to 40% (from 23% in 2014).
- Excellence across City Schools, with all individual Units of Assessment (UoA) improving their overall Grade Point Average (GPA) compared to 2014.
- City is 39th in the UK out of 129 universities according to the Times Higher Education rankings, an increase of 12 places since REF 2014.
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Influential research from our world-leading experts
High quality research across a broad range of areas, making a positive impact to society, is vital to our University. It helps us build a better education for our students, secure research funding for our academic staff and contribute to the wider world outside the University.
City is committed to academic excellence and the original thinking that advances knowledge and changes lives. We produce research that is recognised throughout the world for its quality, its relevance to contemporary intellectual challenges and its influence on the future agendas of academics, business leaders and policy makers. Maximising the impact and relevance of our work in ways that are useful to the wider economy, cultural life, public services and policy-making is at the heart of what we do.
Quality research from every School
The REF 2021 uses a rating system where a contribution of outputs, impact and environment scores together give a research score:
| Rating | Definition |
|---|---|
| 4* | Quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
| 3* | Quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour but which falls short of the highest standards of excellence. |
| 2* | Quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
| 1* | Quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
| Unclassified | Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work, or work which does not meet the published definition of research for the purposes of this assessment. |
More details, including the full dataset of results, are on the official REF website.
City submitted 1,186 academic outputs (such as journal articles) and 47 impact case studies from 536 staff (496 FTE or, to be precise, 495.69) across 13 Units of Assessment (UoA) to REF 2021.
| Unit of assessment name | FTE of staff | Profile | 4* | 3* | 2* | 1* | U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy | 76.79 | Overall | 47 | 44 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Outputs | 34.3 | 50.5 | 14.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | ||
| Impact | 66.7 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 62.5 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience | 34.90 | Overall | 26 | 40 | 32 | 1 | 1 |
| Outputs | 30.0 | 52.5 | 13.8 | 1.2 | 2.5 | ||
| Impact | 33.3 | 33.4 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 0.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Mathematical Sciences | 15.60 | Overall | 39 | 52 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Outputs | 30.8 | 66.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 75.0 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 12.5 | 37.5 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Computer Science and Informatics | 36.20 | Overall | 32 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Outputs | 31.9 | 60.4 | 7.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 50.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 0.0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Engineering | 48.50 | Overall | 18 | 58 | 19 | 5 | 0 |
| Outputs | 24.0 | 67.7 | 5.8 | 2.5 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 12.5 | 12.5 | 62.5 | 12.5 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Economics and Econometrics | 27.20 | Overall | 15 | 70 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Outputs | 11.3 | 80.6 | 8.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 33.3 | 50.0 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 0.0 | 62.5 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Business and Management Studies | 124.55 | Overall | 59 | 33 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Outputs | 51.8 | 36.9 | 10.7 | 0.6 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 66.7 | 27.7 | 5.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 75.0 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Law | 30.65 | Overall | 24 | 43 | 31 | 2 | 0 |
| Outputs | 40.6 | 42.0 | 14.5 | 2.9 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 0.0 | 16.7 | 83.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 0.0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Politics and International Studies | 27.20 | Overall | 26 | 59 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Outputs | 36.7 | 55.0 | 8.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 16.7 | 66.6 | 16.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 0.0 | 62.5 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Sociology | 37.80 | Overall | 56 | 32 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Outputs | 47.1 | 32.9 | 18.8 | 1.2 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 75.0 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 62.5 | 37.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| English Language and Literature | 7.00 | Outputs | 31 | 51 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall | 38.9 | 38.9 | 22.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 25.0 | 75.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 12.5 | 55.0 | 32.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies | 11.80 | Overall | 56 | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Outputs | 64.3 | 32.1 | 0.0 | 3.6 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 25.0 | 75.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 77.5 | 22.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management | 17.50 | Overall | 28 | 59 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Outputs | 25.0 | 59.1 | 13.6 | 2.3 | 0.0 | ||
| Impact | 50.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||
| Environment | 0.0 | 75.0 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |