This article assesses the risk of two COVID-19-related changes necessary for the expert review of the REF2021’s Impact criterion: the move from face to face (F2F) to virtual deliberation; and the changing research landscape caused by the COVID-19 crisis requiring an extension of deadlines, and accommodation of COVID-19-related mitigation. Peer review in its basic form requires expert debate, where dissenting opinions and non-verbal cues are absorbed into a group deliberative practice and therefore inform outcomes. With a move to deliberations in virtual settings, the most likely current outcome for REF2021 evaluations, the extent that negotiation dynamics necessary in F2F evaluations are diminished and how this limits panellists’ ability to sensitively assess COVID-19 mitigation statements is questioned. This article explores the nature of, and associated capabilities to undertake, complex decision-making in virtual settings around the Impact criterion as well the consequences of COVID-19 on normal Impact trajectories. It examines the risks these changes present for evaluation of the Impact criterion and provides recommendations to offset these risks to enhance discussion and safeguard the legitimacy of evaluation outcomes. This article is also relevant for evaluation processes of academic criteria that require both a shift to virtual, and/or guidance of how to sensitively assess the effect of COVID-19 on narratives of individual, group or organizational performance.

中文翻译：

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电晕眼：探索 COVID-19 对 REF2021 影响的公平评估的风险

本文评估了对 REF2021 的影响标准进行专家审查所需的两项与 COVID-19 相关的更改的风险：从面对面 (F2F) 到虚拟审议；以及由 COVID-19 危机引起的不断变化的研究环境，需要延长截止日期，并适应与 COVID-19 相关的缓解措施。同行评审的基本形式需要专家辩论，其中不同意见和非语言线索被吸收到集体审议实践中，从而为结果提供信息。随着在虚拟环境中进行审议，这是 REF2021 评估的最可能的当前结果，F2F 评估中必要的谈判动态减少的程度以及这如何限制小组成员敏感评估 COVID-19 缓解声明的能力受到质疑。本文探讨的性质，以及在虚拟环境中围绕影响标准以及 COVID-19 对正常影响轨迹的后果进行复杂决策的相关能力。它检查了这些变化为评估影响标准带来的风险，并提供了抵消这些风险的建议，以加强讨论并维护评估结果的合法性。本文还与学术标准的评估过程相关，这些标准既需要转向虚拟，也需要指导如何敏感地评估 COVID-19 对个人、团体或组织绩效的叙述的影响。它检查了这些变化为评估影响标准带来的风险，并提供了抵消这些风险的建议，以加强讨论并维护评估结果的合法性。本文还与学术标准的评估过程相关，这些标准既需要转向虚拟，也需要指导如何敏感地评估 COVID-19 对个人、团体或组织绩效的叙述的影响。它检查了这些变化为评估影响标准带来的风险，并提供了抵消这些风险的建议，以加强讨论并维护评估结果的合法性。本文还与学术标准的评估过程相关，这些标准既需要转向虚拟，也需要指导如何敏感地评估 COVID-19 对个人、团体或组织绩效的叙述的影响。