YAUR -- Yet Another University Ranking -- from Leiden University. (December 23, 2011)

According to the Leiden ranking's home page:

The Leiden Ranking 2011/2012 measures the scientific performance of 500 major universities worldwide. Using a sophisticated set of bibliometric indicators, the ranking aims to provide highly accurate measurements of the scientific impact of universities and of universities’ involvement in scientific collaboration. The ranking is based on over 25 years of bibliometric experience at the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of Leiden University

Compared with other university rankings, the Leiden Ranking offers more advanced indicators of scientific impact and collaboration and uses a much more transparent methodology. Also, the Leiden Ranking does not rely on highly subjective data obtained from reputational surveys or on data provided by the universities themselves

In comparison with earlier editions of the Leiden Ranking, various improvements have been made in the Leiden Ranking 2011/2012. These improvements include an impact indicator based on the proportion top 10% publications, collaboration indicators based on geographical distances, fractional counting of collaborative publications, the possibility of excluding non-English language publications, and stability intervals.

Click here to go directly to the ranking table.

Below we list the top 25 -- 22 of which are in the United States -- and 8 of which are in California. Of the three not in the US, the Ecole Polytech Fédérale Lausan and ETH Zurich are Swiss and the Weizmann Institute of Science is Israeli.

The University of Cambridge is ranked 31, the University of Oxford 36.

Fourteen of Australia's universities made the top 500 receiving rankings of:

ANU - 114

Melbourne - 163

Queensland -170

Macquarie - 202

Wollongong - 233

UNSW - 250

Monash - 261

Sydney - 290

Western Australia - 306

Adelaide - 314

Qld Uni of Technology - 367

Tasmania - 378

Newcastle - 382

Griffith - 412

The world's top 25