Panellists finalizing guidance for the next UK Research Excellence Framework (REF 2029) raised concerns about “polishing” narrative statements about research culture. The issue centers on the renamed “strategy, people and research environment” (SPRE) section, which accounts for 20% of an institution’s overall score. With the final guidance expected in autumn and around £2 billion in annual block-grant funding at stake, panellists discussed how official documents should be audited and what evidence should support excellence claims. They also warned that narrative-driven submissions could tempt institutions to stretch the truth, while AI-assisted drafting risks producing near-indistinguishable narratives. The concerns arrive after earlier REF pilots showed the difficulty of judging research environment through limited metrics without imposing significant data burden—leaving more room for evidentiary debate in upcoming submissions.