Why are the university leagues tables so different?

[Mamam1a]

The guardian leaugue tables are showing for instance Loughborough as rank 6, The Times has ranked it as 10.The Guardian ranks Bath as no. 5, but the The Times ranks it as no 11. Coventry is ranked 12 in the guardian and no 43 in the Times. What are these rankings even based on?
The tables are both for 2018. Is there a good reason for this and which one is most peoples go to or most reliable.

I don't know the ins and outs of each league table but universities vary so much that they are hard to compare consistently across all areas.

Some are research unis and others focus more on taught courses which will impact on league tables.
Individual subject areas will vary hugely
Some tables (and unis) will focus on employability others student voice, others teaching and learning , others research grants awarded so any award and claim is always going to be around their area of focus

I personally wouldn't even look at the league tables anything more than briefly and focus more on whether it's a course that interests me, I can get a job out of and if I feel I fit there.

Different universities use different criteria to gather the information. For eg some reports may weight research activity differently than student support etc. It depends on what is seen as important. As previous poster said don't rely to much on them

Measures are given different weight, research, academic results etc. If based on student surveys, response rates vary widely. Some su advocate a boycott, other unis may give an incentive to respond. Positive recommendations have been linked to fee increases which can be a disincentive.

I should have checked TSR first before posting. I’ve found a very good read up about the leaugue tables and very much corroborates what both of you have said. I should have known better. One does have to check each one with a fine tooth pick.

The big difference is the Guardian doesn't use research scores whereas complete and Times do. Weightings of the scores also differ slightly. Each also use slightly different questions from the NSS, and the timing of the Times means their employment data is based on those who graduated just over a year earlier, rather than two years ago (this is changing though).