“1) “The social network field is an interdisciplinary research programme which seeks to predict the structure of relation- ships among social entities, as well as the impact of said structure on other social phenomena. The substantive elements of this programme are built around a shared ‘core’ of concepts and methods for the measurement, representation, and analysis of social structure. These techniques (jointly referred to as the methods of social network analysis) are applicable to a wide range of substantive domains, ranging from the analysis of concepts within mental models (Wegner, 1995; Carley, 1997) to the study of war between nations (Wimmer & Min, 2006).”

2) “”In social science, the structural approach that is based on the study of interaction among social actors… All four of these features are found in modern social network analysis, and together they define the field:
1. Social network analysis is motivated by a structural intuition based on ties linking social actors,
2. It is grounded in systematic empirical data,
3. It draws heavily on graphic imagery, and
4. It relies on the use of mathematical and/or computational models.”””

References

 

“1) Butts, C.T. 2008. Social network analysis: A methodological introduction. Asian J. Soc. Psychol. 11, 13–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-839X.2007.00241.x

2) Freeman, L.C., 2004. The development of social network analysis: a study in the sociology of science. Empirical Press ; BookSurge, Vancouver, BC : North Charleston, S.C.”