A research group in Spain has ranked Cornell the No. 5 university in the world for its Web presence, which includes electronic access to scientific publications and other academic material.

Released in January, the ranking was performed by CybermetricsLab, a research group belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, which is the largest public research body in Spain.

The ranking summarizes the global performance of the university, provides information for prospective students and scholars, and reflects its commitment to the dissemination of scientific knowledge.

One of the aims of the ranking is to motivate institutions and scholars to have a Web presence that accurately reflects their activities. "Web presence" can mean anything from formal e-journals to informal "scholarly communication."

Since 2004, the ranking has been published twice a year (January and July), covering more than 20,000 higher education institutions worldwide.

The top 10 universities were: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California-Berkeley, Cornell, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Washington and University of Pennsylvania.

More information: http://www.webometrics.info/