Web Social Science: Concepts, Data and Tools for Social Scientists in the Digital Age

About the Book

Although written simply enough to be accessible to undergraduates, accomplished scholars are likely to appreciate it too. Reading it taught me quite a lot about a subject I thought I knew rather well.
- Paul Vogt, Illinois State University

"This book brings the art and science of building and applying innovative online research tools to students and faculty across the social sciences."
- William H. Dutton, University of Oxford

A comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of web Social Science. This book demonstrates how the web is being used to collect social research data, such as online surveys and interviews, as well as digital trace data from social media environments, such as Facebook and Twitter. It also illuminates how the advent of the web has led to traditional social science concepts and approaches being combined with those from other scientific disciplines, leading to new insights into social, political and economic behaviour.

Situating social sciences in the digital age, this book aids:

• understanding of the fundamental changes to society, politics and the economy that have resulted from the advent of the web
• choice of appropriate data, tools and research methods for conducting research using web data
• learning how web data are providing new insights into long-standing social science research questions
• appreciation of how social science can facilitate an understanding of life in the digital age

It is ideal for students and researchers across the social sciences, as well as those from information science, computer science and engineering who want to learn about how social scientists are thinking about and researching the web.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Introduction PART ONE: WEB SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODS Chapter 2. Online Research Methods Dimensions and Modes of Online Research Online Surveys Online Interviews and Focus Groups Web Content Analysis Social Media Network Analysis Online Experiments Online Field Research Digital Trace Data: Ethics Chapter 3. Social Media Networks Social Networks: Concepts and Definitions Social Network Analysis Social Media Networks Social Networks, Information Networks and Communication Networks SNA Metrics for the Example School Friendship Network (advanced) Chapter 4. Hyperlink Networks Hyperlink Networks: Background Three Disciplinary Perspectives on Hyperlink Networks Tools for Hyperlink Network Research PART TWO: WEB SOCIAL SCIENCE EXAMPLES Chapter 5. Friendship Formation and Social Influence Homophily in Friendship Formation Social Influence Chapter 6. Organisational Collective Behaviour Collective Behaviour on the Web: Background Collective Action and Public Goods Networked Social Movements Chapter 7. Politics and Participation Visibility of Political Information Social and Political Engagement Political Homophily An Introduction to Power Laws (advanced) Chapter 8. Government and Public Policy Delivery of Information to Citizens Government Authority Public Policy Modelling Chapter 9. Production and Collaboration Peer Production and Information Public Goods Scholarly Activity and Communication Network Structure and Achievement Chapter 10. Commerce and Marketing Distribution of Product Sales Influence in Markets

About the Author :
Assoc. Prof. Robert Ackland has a joint appointment in the School of Sociology and the Australian Centre for Applied Social Research Methods (AusCen) at the Australian National University (ANU). He was awarded his PhD in economics from the ANU in 2001, and he has been researching online social and organisational networks since 2002. He leads the Virtual Observatory for the Study of Online Networks Lab (http://voson.anu.edu.au) which was established in 2005 and is advancing the social science of the Internet by conducting research, developing research tools, and providing research training. Robert established the Social Science of the Internet specialisation in the ANU′s Master of Social Research in 2008, and his book Web Social Science: Concepts, Data and Tools for Social Scientists in the Digital Age (SAGE) was published in July 2013. He created the VOSON software for hyperlink network construction and analysis, which has been publicly available since 2006 and is used by researchers worldwide.

Review :
Ackland′s Web Social Science is unique in being specifically designed for social science researchers. Although written simply enough to be accessible to undergraduates, accomplished scholars are likely to appreciate it too. Reading it taught me quite a lot about a subject I thought I knew rather well. A rare and timely entry to the growing body of quantitative Internet research. While most other works on the topic are written by and for scientists, this book represents a social science approach that is more accessible and applicable, with more attention to preparation, processing and interpretation of real-world data. Though primarily for readers in social science, business studies, policy analysts, and alike, the book blends traditional social science and emerging web science into a unique handbook of Internet research. Brings the art and science of building and applying innovative online research tools to students and faculty across the social sciences. Provides excellent chapters on how to study the Web from a social science research perspective. Although there are many books on theorizing the Internet and the Web, few tackle hands-on research issues. This two-part book (divided into a methods section and example studies) covers a wide range of research designs, tools and data types from many different social science perspectives (psychology, sociology, media studies, political studies and network science among others). Highly recommended for social science studies that want to use the Web to study social phenomena (the Web as a tool) and media studies that focus on the Web itself as a research object.

This book combines the technical terms with the social science perspective and some important topics in daily life related to private life, organisational, political and economic activities. It is appropriate for scientists and students in different areas – social, engineering, economic – every area that uses web for informing, promoting, exerting social influence and conducting studies.

The benefit-and the challenge- of this ambitious volume is that the author considers not only how web data are providing new insights into existing social science research questions, but also how social science can contribute to an understanding of life in the digital era...Overall, Ackland has much to offer researchers seeking to conduct Web social science research: in both the methods section and a section composed of concrete, useful examples, he examines varied research designs, tools and data types from diverse social science perspectives. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and research/faculty. As a relative novice to web-based social research, I have been searching for a book that explains the concepts and different methodologies in accessible language; gives examples demonstrating the practical application of web methods; and does not neglect academic rigour and ethics. This one ticks all those boxes…Ackland’s book is comprehensive and, despite the technical topic, easy to read and understand. The book is particularly valuable for those new to web social science, while it will serve as a handy reference for those with experience in the field. An innovative book that is helpful for understanding new research questions on the impact of online networks and Internet use. This book can easily convince the reader of the importance of Internet-related research topics [and] it is a textbook that all students in social sciences would be able to read.