World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Network Science
H-index 11

Network Science

2050-1242

Published by: Cambridge University Press

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/network-science

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Social Sciences and Humanities 522 16 18 9
Computer Science 781 16 17 6

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 53
Documents by Best Scientists*: 44
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 2
SCIMAGO H-index: 27
SCIMAGO SJR: 0.533
Impact Factor: 1.5

Overview

Top Research Topics at Network Science?

The main research concerns discussed in Network Science are Social psychology, Social network, Theoretical computer science, Artificial intelligence and Network science. As a part of the journal, discussions in Social psychology involve topics like Friendship, Interpersonal ties and Social influence. Studies on Social network discussed in it link to the field of Homophily.

The research on Theoretical computer science discussed in the journal draws on the closely related field of Cluster analysis. The studies tackled, which mainly focus on Artificial intelligence, apply to Machine learning as well. The Network science study featured falls within the larger field of Complex network.

Many of the studies tackled connect Complex network with a similar field of study like Centrality.

  • Social psychology (12.12%)
  • Social network (10.98%)
  • Theoretical computer science (10.23%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • What is network science (148 citations)
  • Clustering attributed graphs: Models, measures and methods (141 citations)
  • Data on face-to-face contacts in an office building suggests a low-cost vaccination strategy based on community linkers (120 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Network Science:

The most cited articles facilitate discussions on Social psychology, Network science, Theoretical computer science, Cluster analysis and Complex network. The journal papers address concerns in Network science which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Graph (abstract data type), Field (geography) and Applied mathematics. The published articles facilitate discussions on Complex network that incorporate concepts from other fields like Betweenness centrality, Epidemic spread and Vaccination.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Statistics
  • Law
  • Computer network

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The foci of the journal are Theoretical computer science, Complex network, Artificial intelligence, Degree (graph theory) and Graph (abstract data type). The study of Theoretical computer science encompasses disciplines such as Random graph, as well as fields such as Structure (mathematical logic), Metric (mathematics), Social media and Preprocessor, all of which overlap with one another. It addresses concerns in Complex network which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Distributed computing, Curvature, Ricci curvature, Metric space and Differential geometry.

Many of the research works in Artificial intelligence, specifically Adversarial system, closely connected to disciplines like Network analysis. While Identification (information) is the key highlight in it, it also covered some subjects on Coding (social sciences) and Cluster analysis. The work on Cluster analysis tackled in it brings together disciplines like Sorting and Node (networking).

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • A Simple Differential Geometry for Complex Networks (5 citations)
  • Artificial Benchmark for Community Detection (ABCD)—Fast random graph model with community structure (3 citations)
  • Learning to count: A deep learning framework for graphlet count estimation (3 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Network Science (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Stanley Wasserman (5 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Thomas W. Valente (5 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Ann McCranie (4 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Nial Friel (4 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Peter J. Mucha (4 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Network Science (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Indiana University (13 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Oxford (8 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Southern California (8 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Duke University (6 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Harvard University (6 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 44.44% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 13.33% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 20.00% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 26.67% of all publications and 40.00% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Career Opportunities in Network Science

With the diverse range of research topics and areas of study within network science, multiple career opportunities arise for those who choose to specialize in this field. Opportunities include working as a network analyst, data scientist, or theoretical computer scientist. Moreover, for those interested in the psychological aspects of network science, becoming a licensed professional counselor is another viable option.

For example, a career as a licensed professional counselor, particularly in the state of Michigan, involves specific steps for licensure. To enhance their understanding and embark on such a career journey, interested individuals might find our guide on How to become an LPC in Michigan beneficial. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to becoming a licensed professional counselor, illustrating the intersection between network science and psychology.

Overall, pursuing a career in network science opens up a world of opportunities in various industries. Whether your interests lie in artificial intelligence, social networks, or the intricacies of theoretical computer science, each pathway offers immense potential for personal and professional growth.

Top Publications

  • Social capital across the life course: Accumulation, diminution, or segregation?

    Beate Volker

    (2020)
    52 Citations
  • Modeling higher order adaptivity of a network by multilevel network reification

    Jan Treur

    (2020)
    51 Citations
  • Assessing the stability of egocentric networks over time using the digital participant-aided sociogram tool Network Canvas.

    Bernie Hogan;Patrick Janulis;Gregory Lee Phillips;Joshua R. Melville

    (2020)
    25 Citations
  • The networked question in the digital era: How do networked, bounded, and limited individuals connect at different stages in the life course?

    Barry Wellman;Anabel Quan-Haase;Molly-Gloria R. Harper

    (2020)
    15 Citations
  • Political isolation in America

    Byungkyu Lee;Peter Bearman

    (2020)
    15 Citations
  • Relational event models in network science

    (2023)
    15 Citations
  • Multidimensional similarity in multiplex networks: friendships between same- and cross-gender bullies and same- and cross-gender victims

    Marianne Hooijsma;Gijs Huitsing;Dorottya Kisfalusi;Jan Kornelis Dijkstra

    (2020)
    15 Citations
  • Sensitivity analysis for network observations with applications to inferences of social influence effects

    Ran Xu;Kenneth A. Frank

    (2021)
    12 Citations
  • Egonets as systematically biased windows on society

    (2020)
    11 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

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