The Mathematics of Social Network Analysis: Metrics for Academic Social Networks

Social network analysis plays an important role in analyzing social relations and patterns of interaction among actors in a social network. Such networks can be casual, like those on social media sites, or formal, like academic social networks. Each of these networks is characterised by underlying data which defines various features of the network. Keeping in view the size and diversity of these networks it may not be possible to dissect entire network with conventional means. Social network visualization can be used to graphically represent these networks in a concise and easy to understand manner. Social network visualization tools rely heavily on quantitative features to numerically define various attributes of the network. These features also referred to as social network metrics used everyday mathematics as their foundations. In this paper we provide an overview of various social network analysis metrics that are commonly used to analyse social networks. Explanation of these metrics and their relevance for academic social networks is also outlined