A learned reader reports researchers at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara have produced a performance measure that looks like a precursor for Excellence in Research for Australia 18.

The University Ranking of Academic Performance ranks universities on a range of publishing criteria, including citation, impact and journal standing. The learned reader, who knows their way around metrics, says URAP does a reasonable job, with results that look right for individual universities, although its discipline rankings do not always conform to the way universities record research outputs.

The URAP team certainly crunched a bunch of data, reporting research performance by 61 disciplines, from aerospace engineering to zoology.

URAP cites the top ten Australian universities on its global ranking as; UniSydney (26th in world), UniMelbourne (30), UniQueensland (40), Monash U (53), UNSW (60), UWA (106), ANU (130), UniAdelaide (157), Curtin U (249) and Griffith U (269).

On CMM’s count the top Australian university in each field makes the world first 50 in 60 disciplines. The University of Queensland is number two in the world for agriculture, environmental science and human movement. UTS ranks second in the world for nursing.

The University of Sydney is first in country in 12 fields followed by UoQ-11, Monash U-ten, UNSW-nine, ANU-eight, Uni Melbourne-four, RMIT-three, UTS-two, James Cook U-one and Uni Adelaide-one.

Universities that made the URAP cut, per number of disciplines are.

University of Sydney: 59

University of Melbourne: 56

University of Queensland: 55

University of NSW: 55

Monash University: 52

ANU: 44

UWA: 43

University of Adelaide: 42

QUT: 42

Curtin University: 39

Griffith University: 39

Deakin University: 34

University of Wollongong: 34

RMIT: 33

UTS: 33

University of Newcastle: 32

University of South Australia: 31

Macquarie University: 30

University of Tasmania: 25

La Trobe University: 23

Flinders University: 22

Western Sydney University: 2o

James Cook University: 17

Swinburne University: 15

University of New England: 11

Murdoch University: nine

Australian Catholic University: seven

University of Canberra: six

Charles Sturt University: six

Edith Cowan University: four

Southern Cross University: four

University of the Sunshine Coast: four

Charles Darwin University: three

University of Notre Dame Australia: two

Victoria University: two

Central Queensland University: two

Bond University: one

University of Southern Queensland: one