One must not forget that most scientific publications are in English, and therefore non-English publications tend to be less frequently cited. Universities that teach and publish in languages other than English may tend to be ranked lower as a result.

Other parameters used to rank universities include the faculty-to-student ratio. This will favor the better endowed universities with greater funding for staff. Another index is the degree of internationality of the student and faculty population.

Although not ostensibly used by the SJTU and THES, other ranking systems look at the ratio of applicants per place available, or the minimum requirements needed to gain admission. This is an assessment on the difficulty of entry. Again this is not a very useful guide, because the reasons why students choose one university rather than another are often quite idiosyncratic.

My major concerns about university league tables are several. First, they have not been validated statistically. In earlier surveys, it has been found that the differences between institutions are statistically insignificant. Secondly, the use of the various indicators, and their weighting, are arbitrary. Minor changes in weighting can result in major changes in ranking. Thirdly, league tables can give an institution an undeservedly high or low reputation. They may skew students and their parents' perception of a university, so that they might not apply for a perfectly good university, in favor of another. Fourthly, it has been known in the past that some universities changed their policies so that they could be better ranked in such surveys.

Related to ranking of universities is the question as to what these institutions are trying to achieve. What are their aims? Succinctly, the purpose of a university is to preserve, advance and disseminate knowledge. For the undergraduate, the purpose of a university is to imbue the student with knowledge, tolerance and vision, and to create a lifelong sense of curiosity and a love of learning.

Unfortunately the assessment and ranking of universities does not really take all this into account. Ranking will continue nevertheless. One cynic said that the only beneficiaries of such university league tables are the top-ranked universities that will attract more students and therefore raise their fees, and newspapers that will sell more copies by writing about the ranking.

I think it is important for one to be aware of the shortcomings of university ranking tables. Best to have a good laugh, and forget about them promptly!