Dear Colleagues

As we approach the end of the year, there are a few housekeeping items we need your help with. 

These shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to complete but they can have a big impact on the reputation of the University, especially as we approach REF2021 next year. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Nominate contacts for the QS Reputation Survey

The first is a reminder about nominating contacts for this year’s QS Reputation Survey. This survey is vital to raising our profile and sharing our excellent research and teaching with potential students and staff, as well as boosting our league table position. Please use this template spreadsheet to send your contacts in other universities or in the business world to Research and Innovation Services (RIS), or contact them directly to get their permission using this template email and then let RIS know when they say yes. Both academic and professional services staff can submit contacts, and those contacts can be anyone in an academic or research role in any university worldwide (including the UK), or anyone in a business role who has a view on graduate recruitment. Don’t worry if you have sent the same contacts in a previous year; better to be safe than sorry. There is a prize for the person supplying the most contacts! Deadline is 6 January 2020.

Ensure profiles are up to date

Next, please ensure your profiles are up to date on important internal and external databases. Our Pure system is now an important repository for all our research and innovation activities (tracking bids, outputs, etc). It is extensively used for REF, PDRs and now our webpages. Please take some time to ensure it is accurate and reflects the great work you are doing. There is also an opportunity to opt-in as a supervisor on our “Find a PhD Supervisor” webpage for postgraduate students.

Externally, Scopus and Web of Science are two important international publication databases (especially for STEM subjects) that contain public information used by many research and innovation organisations (e.g. REF2021 team and league tables). Please check your profile before the beginning of February for any errors, e.g. academics with similar names or if you have moved institution.  If you have problems logging into Scopus or Web of Science, please contact the main library helpdesk (library@port.ac.uk). For all other questions, please contact libraryresearch@port.ac.uk.

Declare your personal circumstances 

Finally, please remember the deadline of 6 January 2020 to make a declaration of personal circumstances as part of our preparations for REF2021. I encourage you to read our approved Code of Practice, especially to know your rights around declaring such circumstances if you feel they have affected your ability to research productively during the REF2021 period (01/01/2014 to 31/07/2020). Such declarations are completely voluntary and can be made via this online form. If you have any questions about declaring circumstances, please contact the REF Equality and Diversity team (refequality@port.ac.uk) in confidence, or see your Associate Dean (Research).

Thank you for your time and cooperation with these important tasks. While they can seem tedious at times, they are critical for showing the world our great work, which is something we traditionally don’t do enough of. So let’s make it our New Year’s Resolution to shout more about what we do (e.g. write an article for The Conversation). 

Have a great holiday.