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  1. Home
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Research impact
  • Research Excellence Framework
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Students conducting experiments at the biomedical lab

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

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.

Did you know?

City submitted 1,186 academic outputs and 47 impact case studies from 536 staff by headcount across 13 Units of Assessment to REF 2021.

100 per cent of our eligible academic staff submitted, compared to 53 per cent in REF 2014.

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:

RatingDefinition
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 nameFTE of staffProfile4*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

Contact details

  • Research Support Services

    ResearchSupport@city.ac.uk

    Northampton Square London EC1V 0HB United Kingdom

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