The publication of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings has become one of the key annual events in the international higher education calendar. Since their first appearance in 2004, these global university league tables have been recognised as the world's most authoritative source of broad comparative performance information on universities.

They are now regularly used by undergraduate and postgraduate students to help select degree courses, by academics to inform career decisions, by research teams to identify new collaborative partners, and by university managers to benchmark their performance and set strategic priorities. Moreover, as nations across the globe focus on the establishment of world-class universities as essential elements of a dynamic economy, our rankings are increasingly employed as a tool for governments to set national policy. Below, Times Higher Education offers unparalleled analysis of our world rankings results and methodology, and contextualises those results in light of the rapidly globalising higher education sector.

• The US is the best of the best — Phil Baty
• THE World University Rankings — Robust, transparent and yours — Phil Baty & Simon Pratt
• Excellence, not mere reputation — Phil Baty
• Building sectors, 'Bric' by brick — Richard Reynolds
• How was it for you? — Jonathan Adams
• No borders, only frontiers — Drew Gilpin Faust
• Global path for the best of British — David Willets
• Pride before the fall — Steve Smith
• A bridge between East-West — Lap-Chee Tsui
• Mapping the plateaux as well as the peaks — Dirk van Damme
• Wrong 'uns and rightful contrasts — Paul Wellings
• Turn the tables to our advantage — Wes Streeting

Archive: World University Rankings 2010 - changes and a new beginning

• THE calls and the world answers
• Data details unveiled for THE world rankings
• World rankings partner focuses on matters of reputation
• Fine-tuning the global league tables for clarity
• A fitting database for the world university rankings
• Redrawing ranking rules for clarity, reliability and sense
• New era for the world rankings
• Times Higher Education editor's leader: Ann Mroz on changing the World University Rankings
• Over to you: your views on the global university league tables
• New data partner for World University Rankings
• Talking points: The 2009 world rankings methodology
• Rankings: the results for 2009

Archive: World in motion - columns by rankings editor Phil Baty

• We have begun to refine our thinking
• We can expect some big-name institutions to take a hit in the new World University Rankings
• We have had to make some extraordinarily difficult decisions this week
• Delegates left me in no doubt as to the power and influence of THE's world rankings, and our responsibility
• An epic effort by our world university rankings data supplier concluded successfully last week
• I was disturbed by an email that dropped into my in-box late last month
• So now we get to the hard part
• How can we trust universities?
• Global university rankings are simply not going to go away
• The data are flowing in
• For the new and improved 2010 THE World University Rankings, we will measure reputation more vigorously
• From 2010, the tables will be built from the subject level upwards
• Is the ratio of servers to customers in a restaurant a good proxy for the quality of the food?
• Do you ever get death threats?
• If the rankings have become an accepted reference point, why change?
• Magazines that compile league tables have an interest in instability
• Do your job well, and you will rise
• Why are European taxpayers paying 950,000 for a new set of rankings?
• Is it valid to use reputation measures in university rankings
• Rankings project manager revealed
• The weighting for peer review was too high and the sample was too low
• I find it absurd that LSE is ranked 67th
• What is a world class university
• Rankings are no longer just an annual curiosity

Archive: THE World University Rankings analysis

• Measured and found wanting more
• Handle with care
• Rankings partner focuses on matters of reputation
• Raise your game
• Leader: Do your job well, and you will rise
• Higher quality call for rankings
• A fitting database for THE world rankings
• Leader: Only the best for the best
• New era for the world rankings
• China ousts UK in academic research ranking