With so much Internet data available through social media, social networks have entered the popular consciousness. They have long been used by social scientists to analyze complex research questions, so the theories are robust and tested by time. Still, many of us worry about reading about a technical topic that’s not in our traditional field, but this book proves accessible and engaging. It introduces the topic while exciting readers’ minds with relevant concepts that can translate directly into analytic value.
Notably, this book now exists in a new third edition, but I bought the second edition right as the third edition was released. The new version seems to have more use cases, but the theory has not advanced that much since 2018.
Reading this book, I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly I could translate reading a paragraph into an idea to pursue with my data. I took a good page of notes that I now need to review to formulate into action items. Even though social science and social network analysis do not lie in my formal training, my eyes only rarely glazed over while reading a paragraph. Instead, I now see my work in a new light with much potential to extract analytic insights.
This book is suitable for a late undergraduate course or graduate school offering. Little mathematical knowledge is required, though some statistics are presumed to translate findings into research. A few basic mathematical formulae are presented, but nothing is derived. It’s accessible so that translatable concepts take the fore. Curious readers should find relevant insights for their projects.
Analyzing Social Networks
By Stephen P. Borgatti, Martin G. Everett & Jeffrey C. Johnson
2nd Edition
Copyright (c) 2013, 2018
Sage Publishing
ISBN13 9781526404107
Page Count: 363
Genre: Scientific Visualization, Research
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