Every year universities and higher education colleges in the UK receive around £2.5 billion in research income. Around a third of this money comes from the four UK higher education funding bodies, who allocate their grants according to the quality of the research.

How is Research Assessed?

To judge the quality of research, the funding bodies conduct a UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) every few years. The last exercise was in 2001. The RAE uses a process of 'peer review', where distinguished academics in a particular subject review the quality of the work of their fellow researchers.

The results of the RAE are given as a rating on a scale of 1 - 5* as follows: 5* being the highest rating, 5,4,3a, 3b, 2 and 1 - the lowest rating. The higher up the rating scale, the more money is allocated.

'Research' is defined broadly for the RAE as 'original investigation undertaken in order to gain knowledge and understanding'. It includes work in the arts and humanities as well as sciences, and work where the outcome is not a written text but an exhibition, performance, or design, for example. All forms of research are given equal weight, whatever their purpose and however they are funded.

Who is Assessed?

The scale of the exercise is huge. In 1996, the RAE team received 2,896 submissions from departments in 192 universities and colleges across the UK; work from nearly 56,000 researchers was assessed. In order to avoid spending unnecessary funds and placing an unreasonable burden on academics, the exercise is carried out every few years. Inevitably this means that the information may be somewhat out of date.

The ratings from the 1996 RAE are available in a publication 'Research Assessment Exercise 2001: The Outcome', from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (see below for address). There are also other publications giving details of the 1996 RAE, and the RAE in 2001.

Why Do I Need To Know?

If you are planning to study as a graduate in the UK, the results of the RAE can help you decide which university to choose. There are also many other sources of information, which should be used in conjunction with this information: prospectuses, careers advisers, databases and the Internet are possible sources. If you are an overseas student, the British Council office in your home country may be able to offer advice.

The RAE is only concerned with research: there are separate systems to assess the quality of teaching in higher education, conducted by other bodies. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education carries out institutional and subject-based reviews of teaching quality

Rating Definition

• 5* Research quality that equates to attainable levels of international excellence in a majority of sub-areas of activity, and attainable levels of national excellence in others.

• 5 Research quality that equates to attainable levels of international excellence in some sub-areas of activity, and to attainable levels of national excellence in virtually all others.

• 4 Research quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence in virtually all sub-areas of activity, possibly showing some evidence of international excellence, or to international level in some, and at least national levels in a majority.

• 3a Research quality that equates to attainable levels if national excellence in substantial majority of the sub-areas of activity, or to international level in some and to national level in others together comprising a majority.

• 3b Research quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence in the majority of sub-areas of activity.

• 2 Research quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence in the majority of sub-areas of activity.

• 1 Research quality that equates to attainable levels of national excellence on none, or virtually none, of the sub-areas of activity.

 

Author:
Philip Walker
HEFCE

 

Further Information:
Printed copies of the RAE outcome and other publications are available from the following address:

HEFCE Publications,
Northavon House,
Coldharbour Lane,
Bristol BS16 1QD
E-mail: hefce@hefce.ac.uk
Web: www.hero.ac.uk