Social Network Analysis

The Third Edition of this best-selling text has been fully revised and updated to include coverage of the many developments on social network analysis (SNA) over the last decade. Written in a clear and accessible style, the book introduces these topics to newcomers and non-specialists and gives sufficient detail for more advanced users of social network analysis. Throughout the book, key ideas are discussed in relation to the principal software programs available for SNA. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the field, outlining both its theoretical basis and its key techniques. Drawing from the core ideas of points, lines and paths, John Scott builds a framework of network analysis that covers such measures as density, centrality, clustering, centralisation, and spatialisation. He identifies the various types of clique, component, and circle into which networks are formed, and he outlines an approach to socially structured positions within networks. A completely new chapter in this edition discusses recent work on network dynamics and methods for studying change over time. A final chapter discusses approaches to network visualisation. This is an excellent resource for researchers across the social sciences and for students of social theory and research methods.

About the Author :
John Scott is a Visiting Professor at the Universities of Essex, Exeter, and Copenhagen. He was formerly Professor of Sociology and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at Plymouth University and before that was Professor of Sociology at Essex University and Leicester University. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Fellowof the Academy of learned Societies in the Social Sciences, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. An active member of the British Sociological Association, he has held the posts of Secretary, Treasurer, Chairperson, and President. His most recent publications are Conceptualising the Social World (Cambridge University Press, 2011), The Sage Handbook of Social Network Analysis (edited with Peter Carrington, Sage Publications, 2011), and Sociology (with James Fulcher, Oxfords University Press, 2011). His current work on the history of British sociology will appears as Envisioning Sociology. Victor Branford, Patrick Geddes, and the Quest for Social Reconstruction (with Ray Bromley, SUNY Press, 2013).

Review :
From one of the most authoritative figures in Social Network Analysis (SNA), this book by John Scott presents another compelling reading on Social Network Studies. Audiences from diverse fields should find this book highly engaging and inspirational, covering SNA fundamentals and substantive applications in studies of a wide range of social phenomenon Song Yang University of Arkansas The key terms of social network analysis are explained in each chapter - density, centrality, [and] components like cliques... Special attention is put on the graph theory, but the role of gestalt theory, field theory, sociometry, group dynamics, and other scientific areas [are] also explained... The book could be recommended to the new comers in social network analysis, as well as to the readers with more familiarity with social network analysis. Stanislava Stoyanova Methodspace Book Reviews" The book is an excellent resource that serves workers in SNA, whether a beginner or not, in this field, or in mathematical knowledge. It is an updated source and contains authentic resources.--Nadia Idri