Framework content

The Researcher development framework is structured in four domains encompassing the knowledge, intellectual abilities, techniques and professional standards to do research, as well as the personal qualities, knowledge and skills to work with others and ensure the wider impact of research.

The Researcher Development Statement (RDS) is derived from the Researcher Development Framework (RDF), and is the evolution of the Research Councils’ Joint Skills Statement (JSS), replacing the JSS as the key reference statement for policy makers and research organisations that provide personal, professional and career development for postgraduate researchers and research staff employed in higher education.

Within each of the domains are three sub-domains and associated descriptors, which describe different aspects of being a researcher.