For the purposes of this study, a distinct time period (2010-2017) spanning the four years prior and four years after the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment was selected, in order to pinpoint trends in publication rates and to try interpreting those in the light of their causative factors. Monitoring the effect of external or internal events helps informing strategic decisions on prioritising important areas of research. The steadily increasing numbers of SDG relevant research output in the form of peer-reviewed publications observed, allows the speculation that the trend has been continuing after 2017, with another peak expected to have occurred towards the end of 2019. There are several factors that might have influenced this trend, with REF being just one of them. Between 2010 and 2013, a few events have taken place that most likely had an effect on publication rates: in 2012 the ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) was introduced with the aim to “improve discoverability” of researchers and work (Haak, 2013), in the same year as the Finch report made recommendations for open access to research output. These were accepted by the UK Government with Research Councils UK introducing its revised policy on open access a year after, even though there have been policies shaping the landscape since 2005 and affecting the way funding decisions are made. In that same year (2013) University of Glasgow introduced the open access pilot, and it also took part in the BBSRC Excellence with Impact competition. **Key messages:** - Fluctuations in research output over time can be explained by the effect of external events. Understanding these trends can help anticipate the response to the causative factors in the future and to facilitate internal and external impact assessments. - It is important to consider the benefit of multiple time horizons when performing internal assessments, as it can inform organizational decisions on future research priorities. - The results also stress the importance of improving reach of research outputs by devising a useful repository model that caters the resource requirements of both internal and external parties. - Providing additional training opportunities for research staff is crucial to help them manage and take ownership of their professional online identity and academic digital footprint. This would help researchers acknowledge the broader role they have in strengthening the institutional online presence and identity too. **Reference:** Haak, L.L. (2013). ORCID: connecting researchers and scholars with their works. Insights, 26(3), pp.239–243. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/2048-7754.103