Which are the best world university rankings in the world?

Last week saw the publication of the latest world university rankings. But until the purveyors of these league tables address the uncertainties in their data, no-one knows where they really stand

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings were announced last week to much fanfare, at least in certain corners of academia. They were "bigger, better and more comprehensive", according to their editor, Phil Baty.

Such ranking exercises are a big and growing industry. This year the Times Higher has assessed 800 institutions, double the number considered last year. And their ranking is now one only one of at least ten different schemes for grading the world's universities. No institution wishing to compete globally - or even nationally - can afford to ignore them.