From the HEFCE website:

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/ref/pubs/other/outputs/ 

REF 2014 submissions system: import requirements and output information

October 2011

This section provides:

• information that will enable institutions to collect and prepare data that they will be able to import to the REF submission system, when the system becomes available
• further details of the information that will be required about research outputs, over and above the requirements set out in ‘Assessment framework and guidance on submissions‘.

Data requirements for REF import files

The document below provides a complete list of mandatory and optional information requirements for REF submissions and will enable UK higher education institutions to start developing import files.

NOTE: These data requirements are provisional and may require some revisions following publication of the final panel criteria and working methods documents in January 2012. Where potential revisions are anticipated they are clearly marked as provisional.

Provisional data requirements for REF import files

[ Download Provisional data requirements for REF import files as Adobe PDF 200K | Download Provisional data requirements for REF import files as MS Word 168K ]

Import file templates

Below are template REF import files in XML, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Excel formats.

The XML and Microsoft Access files are templates for institutions to complete when importing records to all the relevant REF data forms along with user records and user permission records.

Also included is an example XML file which contains some data for most of the REF forms.

The Microsoft Excel files are templates for institutions to use in the importing of records to REF forms REF1a, REF1b, REF1c, REF2, REF4a, REF4b, REF4c, along with user records and user permission records.

Output information requirements

The Excel document below sets out the specific information that will be requested through the REF submission system for different forms of research outputs over and above the generic requirements set out in Part 3 Section 2 of ‘Assessment framework and guidance on submissions‘.

Output information requirements

[ Download Output information requirements as MS Excel 51K ]