Social Network Analysis: A Handbook [Paperback]

John P Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2000 | ISBN-10: 0761963391 | ISBN-13: 978-0761963394 | Edition: 2nd

The revised and updated edition of this bestselling text provides an accessible introduction to the theory and practice of network analysis in the social sciences. It gives a clear and authoritative guide to the general framework of network analysis, explaining the basic concepts, technical measures and reviewing the available computer programs.

The book outlines both the theoretical basis of network analysis and the key techniques for using it as a research tool. Building upon definitions of points, lines and paths, John Scott demonstrates their use in clarifying such measures as density, fragmentation and centralization. He identifies the various cliques, components and circles into which networks are formed, and outlines

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I am often asked by people new to network analysis for something they can read to get a quick sense of the area. I refer them to this book. Now updated, Scott's book continues to be the most accessible introduction to social network analysis. Experts should have two copies: one to use, one to loan' - Ronald S Burt, University of Chicago and European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD)

Praise for the First Edition:

`This book is essential for those who want to keep up with - and move forward with - the field' - Professor Barry Wellman, University of Toronto

`John Scott's Social Network Analysis: A Handbook fills a gap between simplist introductions and inaccessibly technical treatments. The increasing popularity of these methods warrants a solid introductory text, which Scott's book admirably provides' - David Knoke, University of Minnesota

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd; 2nd edition (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761963391
• ISBN-13: 978-0761963394
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Clear Introduction, May 1, 2011

By 

Dennis Hanseman (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Social Network Analysis: A Handbook (Paperback)

As a biostatistician interested in learning some social network analysis, I was immediately attracted to this book. It is short and non-technical and seemed to provide an overview of the key issues in this research area. Once I began to read it, I quickly saw that Scott has a gift for presenting complex idea in clear prose. (I don't know quite why it is, but British academics are typically very good at expository prose.) In any case, Social Network Analysis provided just what I wanted -- a quick (180 page) overview that will help me move on to other, more technical works in this area.

Bravo!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps too brief an introduction for beginners, October 31, 2011

By 

rickholden76 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Social Network Analysis: A Handbook (Paperback)

This truly is a handbook for researchers, in being a very short and thorough reference. However, I wouldn't recommend it for someone just learning network theory on their own. The author is often more interested in giving formalized definitions, terms, and examples than ensuring the reader understands the basic concepts of SNA. It reads like a legal or engineering document, more than an introductory guide. That's probably good for economy or business students, but not to an anthropologist like me. The other two books that are recommended by Amazon to buy along with this one both offer the same information, but they also do it in a way that is more readable if you want to actually do SNA. The concepts of SNA are very simple, yet the author does his best to make them sound more complex or esoteric than they are. The book is just fine, but the 3-stars is a comparison of the other into works out there, and my experience reading dozens of articles on the subject.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short but to the point, July 18, 2010

By 

N. Mozahem (Al Ain, United Arab of Emirates) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Social Network Analysis: A Handbook (Paperback)

This book is intended as an introduction to the field and no prior knowledge of social network analysis is required. Although less than 200 pages, the text contains a lot of useful information. The best thing about the book is that the author doesn't just tell us about SNA as it stands today, but instead discusses how the ideas behind the theory kept changing while citing the most important papers published about the subject. The only criticism that I have is that in some cases the author used diagrams to illustrate simple points, but when he was discussing some of the more complicated issues like algorithms there were no diagrams that accompanied the explanation, and this made it harder to follow. This only happened in the last two chapters, but other than that, I really recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in social network analysis.