(22 Sept 2025) Impact case studies have held significant weight in REF since its establishment in 2014, and the way research is undertaken and supported continues to be shaped by the impact agenda. So, although there are outstanding questions on what exactly the next iteration of REF will look like, there seems little doubt that impact case studies will remain a key component.
Citation databases, such as the Overton policy index, promised to revolutionise the ease with which we could track the impact of academic work. My and colleague Ben Earley’s recent project set out to explore the extent this has been realised, particularly in the hard to evidence disciplines in arts, humanities and social sciences.
The project focused on two core AHSS disciplines: Social Work and Social Policy (Unit of Assessment (UoA) 20), and History (UoA 28). Our method took nine HEIs from each UoA in three brackets based on their Grade Point Average impact score: highest ranking, median ranking with closest to 100 % 3* impact score, lowest ranking with 100% <2* impact score. The lead author and underpinning research were searched using Overton to identify policy reference data from the REF 2021 period (1 August 2013 – 31 December 2020), this was then cross referenced with each case study’s impact narrative (section 4) and sources to corroborate the impact (section 5) to establish to what extent the case study made use of the available data.
Here are three easily applied tips that our study indicates could give your REF preparations and impact case studies the edge.
