You need to create records in categories called common outcome types in order to report. Common outcome types cover:
- outputs: such as publications, exhibitions, new research tools or methods
- outcomes: such as new or improved products, processes or public policies
What you need to report will depend on the outcome type. Generally, you will need to describe the output or outcome and, where possible, its impact. Impact includes if it has led to changes that benefit:
- the economy
- society
- culture
- health
- the environment
- quality of life
You will also be asked to record:
- patent applications derived from your research
- spin-out companies set up as a result of your research
- collaborative work with industrial or academic partners
- how your work has contributed to public policy development
- how non-academic audiences have been informed about or involved in your work
You can attribute your records to more than one project. Even if there are few or no outputs or outcomes to record, you must confirm that your information in Researchfish is accurate and up to date.
Question sets
There are two different sets of questions you need to answer while creating your report.
Researchfish common question set
These questions are provided by Researchfish and are available to complete on all awards, regardless of who is funding the project.
Download the common question set from Researchfish.
To help you understand which sections apply to your project, check the Researchfish list of common outcome types with sub-type (PDF, 136KB).
Additional funder questions
Additional funder questions are provided by UKRI. Some additional funder questions apply to all research councils and some are council-specific.
Read the full additional funder questions and our guidance on how to respond to them.
Improvements to the question sets
In 2025, UKRI started a review of both the common question set and additional funder questions. The aim of the review is to reduce unnecessary work for researchers reporting outcomes, while also making sure we are collecting the best quality data. As part of this ongoing review, we have made some changes to the question sets, which apply from the 2026 reporting period onwards.
We have improved the ‘Intellectual Property (IP) and Licensing’ section to allow researchers to report a wider range of IP rights, and refined the scope of the Spinouts section.
Researchers also no longer need to fill in the following sections:
- Awards and Recognition
- Use of Facilities and Resources
- Engagement Activities
- Public and Patient Involvement, with the exception of some specific co-funded schemes
Instead, we have introduced a new additional funder question called ‘Public Engagement and Involvement’.