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Hidden REF

@hiddenref.bsky.social
544 followers 24 following 139 posts

Celebrating all research outputs and everyone involved in their creation

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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Thinking about investing a few extra minutes in your Hidden REF Competition submission this week? That investment might pay off! Jamie Davies, a 2021 competition winner, explains how his team has used their win to secure additional funding for their project. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c...
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
There's just 2 weeks left to submit to the Hidden REF Competition! We want to celebrate your research outputs & everyone involved in their creation. Help us do that & build evidence for more inclusive approaches to research assessment. 🗓️ Submissions close 13 Sept hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c...
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Why you should you submit your research to the Hidden REF Competition? @lynnebianchi.bsky.social, a highly commended entrant from the 2024 competition, explains how the competition provided a valuable opportunity for her team to reflect on the impact of their work.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
@profemilysena.bsky.social from the University of Edinburgh explained how she has used her 2021 win: “Winning the Hidden REF gave me valuable evidence for the impact of my work. It’s a win in a national competition which I’ve since used to support funding applications and even a promotion.”
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Holly Blake explained how winning an award in the 2024 competition provided additional momentum for her project: 'This award helped amplify the reach of the work, supporting further research, collaborations and a growing evidence base, including our recent 5‑year follow‑up study.'
A photo of Holly Blake, with the caption '2024 Winner' and the Hidden REF Competition logo beneath her face.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Headed to the beach for some holiday? Why not take a look at the categories for this year's competition before you go. It's like (pre-)beach reading but for people who love research culture! hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c...
A cartoon image of a tropical beach with a surf board stuck into the sand. The text reads, 'You're invited to the Hidden REF competition. Submissions close 13 September.'
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Here at the Hidden REF it might seem like we're always talking about not-traditionally submitted outputs (NTOs). But what is an NTO and why do we care so much about how they're assessed? Our Hidden REF community manager Lyndsey Ballantyne explains. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X19...
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Why you should you nominate a colleague or submit your research to the Hidden REF Competition? Jenni Adams, one of our winners from the 2024 competition, explains how the competition is a valuable way of recognising all of the work that doesn't get recognised elsewhere in the research ecosystem.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
New this year: panels will use their interpretation of the REF guidelines on originality, significance and rigour to assess outputs, meaning a competition submission is also a chance to practice writing NTO submissions that could be submitted for the REF.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Behind almost every research study is a collections specialist, data manager, technician or bit of code that never makes the paper. The Hidden REF 2026 is open & recognises exactly those outputs & roles, the ones traditional assessment leaves out. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c...
If we recognise everyone who is vital to research, we advance our ability to conduct research. www.hidden-ref.org
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
The Hidden REF Competition launches in just 5 days! Check out how you can get involved: hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... There are 5 panels responsible for assessing Hidden REF Submissions - you can see the previous winners for each panel on the Hidden REF website.
Orange text on a dark blue background reading "5 Panels". The Hidden REF Competition 2026 logo is in the upper right corner.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
13 days until the Hidden REF Competition opens for submissions! Check out how you can get involved: hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... There have been 13 past winners across the last two competitions - will you join that list this year?
Orange text on a dark blue background reading "13 Winners". The Hidden REF Competition 2026 logo is in the upper right corner.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
26 days until the Hidden REF Competition kicks off! 🎉 Check out how you can get involved: hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... The last competition saw 26 submissions in the Hidden Role category - will there be more this year?
Orange text on a blue background that reads "26 Hidden Role Submissions". The Hidden REF Competition 2026 logo is in the upper right corner.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
New video: What don’t we understand about the REF? The Research Excellence Framework is still evolving - and there’s still time to shape how universities interpret the guidance. Share your ideas with the Hidden REF. 📧 info@hidden-ref.org
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Ola Thomson introduces the workshop strategy for finding good Heuristics to assess NTO/NTSO/DOTs
Ola Thomson introduces the workshop activities on finding Heuristics
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Next, Gemma Derrick on how Heuristics can be used to judge what is a quality research output @gemmaderrick.bsky.social errick.bsky.social
Intro slide for the Heuristics talk showing Gemma Derrick with the microphone.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Liverpool are "pulling up their socks and getting on with it"! They ran their own Diverse Research Output Competition and had many more submissions than they expected.
Slide about the DOT competition at UoLiverpool
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
First talk is from Natalie Wallis from the University of Liverpool about Diverse Research Outputs and the fear of changing research culture @nataliejessic10.bsky.social
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Thank you to all our generous Sponsors, Research England, and everyone who is joining the fully-booked out Festival of Hidden REF over the next two days! Looking forward to all the discussions!
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
We're getting ready to welcome everyone to the Festival of Hidden REF at the Think Tank in Birmingham! Very excited to learn about all the interesting work people are doing and meet them in-person!
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
🎉 Day 1 of the Festival is officially sold out! 🎉 We do have a waitlist you can join if tickets become available 💡 Higher capacity for Day 2 - tickets are still available. 📅 Want to know what’s happening on both days and grab your ticket? Head over to our website: hidden-ref.org/the-festival...
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
There's only a small number of tickets left for the Festival of Hidden REF so if you are hoping to join us - be quick! hidden-ref.org/the-festival...
Image of outside of Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum with Hidden REF Festival logo and wording '7-8 October 2025 Thinktank Birmingham'
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Congratulations again to Sarjhana Brindha, winner of the Applications of research panel in the 2024 Hidden REF Competition. Her work with the myHealthE portal stood out for its impact and innovation. Learn more about her achievement in the full story below.: lnkd.in/euWPGCG8
image of quote 'It is truly an honour to receive the hidden REF award. This achievement is the result of the hard work, dedication and creativity of an amazing team – every person involved in myHealthE brought their unique expertise and passion and we’re proud of what we have accomplished together. This award is a celebration of our collective effort.

Sarjhana Brindha, CAMHS Digital Lab, King’s College London, myHealthE'
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
📢 Registration is now open 📢 Join us on 7-8 October 2025 at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum for the second Festival of Hidden REF! Explore the indicative schedule, learn more on our website or head straight to the registration page to secure your place! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-festiv...
Image of Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum with Hidden REF Festival logo and text '7-8 October 2025 Thinktank Birmingham, Registration is open!'
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
🎉 Exciting News! The second Festival of Hidden REF is coming to Birmingham on 7–8 October 2025! 🗓️ Save the Date 📬 Be the first to know when registration opens in mid-May (mailing list): eepurl.com/gRP24n 🔍 Find out more and see an indicative schedule: hidden-ref.org/the-festival... #HiddenRefFest
photo of outside of Thinktank Birmingham, hidden ref festival logo, text '7-8 October 2025 Thinktank Birmingham'
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Hear from one of our 2024 competition winners below and read the full article from her institution here: www.rbht.nhs.uk/research/hid...
“The Hidden REF nomination has most definitely been a career highlight.  It’s wonderful to know that the contributions of research office support staff, however small, are highly valued by healthcare researchers.  I hope this award encourages other hospitals and institutions to put in place similar support systems, helping researchers navigate the complexities of grant funding and allowing them to focus on what they do best - improving the lives of their patients. ”

Laura Henderson, Research Development Manager,
Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals
2024 Hidden Role winner
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)
Hidden Role
Highly commended:
- Dr Fran Pontin, Senior Research Data Scientist for the Consumer Data Research Centre at the University of Leeds
- Jenny Baker, Susanna Rose, Karen Hogg, James Fox, and Katrien van Bocxlaer - the Phlebotomy team at the University of York
- Sarah Gibson, Danny Garside, Brigitta Sipocz and Jim Madge, the Open Infrastructure Working group for The Turing Way at the Alan Turing Institute
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)
Hidden Role
Winners:
- Jenni Adams, Open Research Manager at the University of Sheffield
- Laura Henderson, Research Development Manager at the Royal Brompton Hospital, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)
Practices
Winner - Research and Development Workshops team at the University of Exeter
Highly commended:
- Katherine Deane, University of East Anglia, Catapult Cell and Gene Therapy ATMP lab
- Simon Kerridge, University of Kent, Kerridge Research Consulting and Liz Allen, Cogency - Research for Impact Ltd, The Contributor Role Taxonomy (CRediT)
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)
Contexts
Winner - Open Research Scotland Group
Highly commended:
- Professor Fiona Macpherson, Professor Anil Seth, Dr Reny Baykova, Dr David Schwartzman, Mr Trevor Hewitt, Dr James Alvarex, The Perception Census
- Patti Biggs, Francis Crick Institute, 3Rs search strategies for PubMed
- David Sims, University of Oxford, The X-NET cross-disciplinary network
- The Turing Way's Accessibility Working Group
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)
Communicative Outputs
Winner - Holly Blake, University of Nottingham, A Digital Package for Mitigating the Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on Health and Care Workers
Highly commended - Lynne Bianchi, SEERIH, University of Manchester, The Great Science Share for Schools (GSSfS) and;
Hannah Baumeister, Liverpool John Moores University, Forced marriage comic 'I choose'
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)
Applications of research
Winner - Sarjhana Brindha, CAMHS Digital Lab, King's College London, myHealthE Highly commended - Claire Jones, University of Dundee, Supporting Clinical Trials through Healthcare Informatics
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 19/09/2024
A massive Thank You to everyone who participated and supported the Hidden REF competition and campaign! We received 113 submissions in 19 categories and are now working to carefully assess your incredible contributions, as we prepare to celebrate each of these achievements.
Two cartoon people holding up letters spelling 'Thank you'
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 17/09/2024
The Hidden REF Competition is wrapping up tomorrow at 12pm, the committee is poised and ready to count your submissions This is your final chance to uncover and showcase the hidden work and roles that deserve recognition. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp
photo of people covering their faces
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 12/09/2024
⏰ 2 days left to submit ⏰ Enter the HiddenREF competition and help us uncover research outputs and roles that are vital to research but lack recognition The HiddenREF is a volunteer-led campaign to raise awareness of the variety of research. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp
"The Hidden REF is a competition to celebrate all research outputs and everyone involved in their creation. Help us understand how much work is hidden and how many people go unrecognised in research"
"The more submissions we receive, the more evidence we have to campaign for research evaluation to recognise everyone who’s vital to the conduct of research"
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 10/09/2024
⏰ 4 days.. ⏰ Research success has many unsung heroes, it's time to bring them out of the shadows! The more submissions we receive, the more evidence we have to campaign for research evaluation to recognise everyone who’s vital to the conduct of research. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp
Photo of a group of people from the Festival of HiddenREF in 2023
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 28/08/2024
⏰ 16 days to go.. Juan Rodriguez Herrera shares how being highly commended in the 2021 competition boosted the morale of the whole team! Submit your own entry now, by September 13th hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp
Image of Dr Juan Rodriguez Herrera, EPCC, University of Edinburgh holding his 2021 certificate with quote “Being highly commended in the Hidden REF competition was a significant recognition to the ARCHER2 training team efforts. It boosted our morale and motivated us to keep pushing the boundaries of excellence.”
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 20/08/2024
Did you know you can enter the competition more than once? Hear from Ernesto Priego, who was highly commended for THREE projects submitted to the 2021 competition 24 days to go ⏰ Submit your own entry now, by September 13th hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp
Image of Ernesto Priego with quote “The Hidden REF provided me and the Parables of Care team with motivation and the reassurance that so-called ‘alternative’ or ‘non-traditional’ academic research outputs are valuable and appreciated by scholarly and public communities.”
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 16/08/2024
The countdown starts now: You’ve got 28 days to get your submissions in for the Hidden REF Competition 2024. Let's make it bigger and better than 2021! hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp
"The Hidden REF is a competition to celebrate all research outputs and everyone involved in their creation. Help us understand how much work is hidden and how many people go unrecognised in research"
"The more submissions we receive, the more evidence we have to campaign for research evaluation to recognise everyone who’s vital to the conduct of research"
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 12/08/2024
Hear from our 2021 Contexts winner, Emily Sena, on how winning the competition has impacted her work. Submit your own entry now, by September 13th hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #hiddenREFcomp
Professor Emily Sena, 2021 Hidden REF Contexts winner, shares how winning supported her career, with a quote displayed on a promotional graphic for the 2024 competition.
“Winning the Hidden REF gave me valuable evidence for the impact of my work. It’s a win in a national competition which I’ve since used to support funding applications and even a promotion.”
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 05/08/2024
Entries for the 2024 competition are starting to come in. Our first participant shares why they chose to enter: Submit your own entry now, by September 13th hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp
Dr. Charlotte Green shares her reason for entering the Hidden REF 2024 competition, emphasizing her role (as Business Development Manager) in fostering relationships with commercial partners to maximize research impact.
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 29/07/2024
What is the Hidden REF? Hear from some of our committee members... hidden-ref.org #HiddenREFcomp
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 25/07/2024
Hear from Leila Whitworth, who was highly commended in the 2021 competition for her Hidden Role 'Research Managers and Administrators', on how participating in the competition has influenced her work Submit your own entry now, by September 13th hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 23/07/2024
⏰ Competition timeline update ⏰ To keep the suspense high (and give our panels more time to review submissions), we'll reveal the competition winners at the Awards Ceremony in November. You still have just over 7 weeks to submit your entry! 🌟 #HiddenREFcomp hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c...
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 05/07/2024
The Hidden REF campaign celebrates all things & people that make research a success! Are you getting your 2024 competition submission ready? Read (and share) our flyer to help spread the word hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #hiddenREFcomp
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 03/07/2024
Hear from our 2021 Communicative Outputs winner, Fiona Macpherson, on how winning the competition has impacted her work. Submit your own entry now, by September 13th hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #hiddenREFcomp
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 28/06/2024
We have 24 categories for the 2024 Hidden REF competition. Learn more about each category on our website, and feel free to reach out with any questions! hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... info@hidden-ref.org #hiddenREFcomp
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 11/06/2024
The first institution to sign up to the Hidden REF 5% manifesto! read the full blog post from Bath Spa University hidden-ref.org/2024/06/11/t...
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 28/05/2024
The hidden REF competition is now open! If you work in research and want to raise awareness of your own work or the work of others, take part to celebrate all research outputs and help us campaign to change the way research is assessed hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #hiddenrefcomp
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Hidden REF @hiddenref.bsky.social · 09/05/2024
Just one week left to let us know your thoughts on the categories for the 2024 competition. Is anything missing? Let us know via the form hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... See hidden-ref.org/categories/ for the detailed list. We will be welcoming submissions from 27th May 🎉
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