Introduction to Social Network Research and Analysis: Online
ACSPRI 2025 Summer Program
Description:
This course is designed for social researchers using qualitative and mixed methods. The course builds from the basic, pioneering methodologies of Social Network Analysis (SNA): survey-based egonet SNA and sociometric, "whole network' SNA, and their extensions, to network sensitive ethnographies, community networks, web-based network surveys and research on social media activities. The course reviews the possibilities for working with rich network data from interview or online sources and the unique perspectives that qualitative and social research traditions bring to these tasks. The course explores ways to best manage and explore different kinds of network data in Excel, uses UCINET and NetDraw to produce network diagrams and descriptive statistics. We review other appropriate software related to participants' needs. The course serves as a transition to the associated ACSPRI courses Network Analysis in Social, Business and Political Research and Big Data Analysis for Social Scientists.
Network research designs covered in this course are:
* Surveys using ego-centric network (egonet) methods
* Network-sensitive ethnographies
* Sociometric (‘round robin’) ‘whole network’ studies and small group research
* Associational/ Affiliation (‘2-mode’) networks (including ethological studies)
* Cognitive mapping and socio-cognitive mapping (SCM)
For each methodology we consider the best ways to code and manage raw data, the most efficient formats for importing such data into visualisation and analysis software and appropriate measures and statistics for reporting findings. We also discuss the process of relating validated findings to broader research questions (‘meta-inference’), extrapolating them to other settings and associated questions of research design.
Start: Monday, 10 February 2025 @ 09:30
End: Friday, 14 February 2025 @ 16:00
Duration: 5 days
Timezone: Melbourne
Venue: Online
Country: Australia
Prerequisites:No prior knowledge of social network analysis is required.
Participants should be comfortable with using spreadsheets (Excel), have some social science background and be familiar with discussions of research methods.
This course covers data collection and research design, visualisation and basic analytic methods used in social network research. It is designed for mixed methods and qualitative researchers. From 2021 the course has a greater emphasis on social media data collection and analysis. It also explores software for network-oriented online interview and survey data collection
- Open to all
Organiser: ACSPRI
Contact: info@acspri.org.au Ph: +61 3 8376 6496
Host institution: ACSPRI
Keywords: social network research, Social network analysis, Mixed Methods, Qualitative Research, Qualitative methods, social media data
Fields: STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY, PSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES, LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE, COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT, TOURISM AND SERVICES, EDUCATION, MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES
Capacity: 12
Event type:- Workshop
Your own computer
zoom
In this course you will use UCINET and NetDraw, which are available from here:
http://www.analytictech.com/ucinet/download.htm
The software is not compatible with Macs, if you are an Apple user you will need to run a Windows emulator such as bootcamp in order to use the software. If you are using a university machine, you may need to have your IT department help you install it.
The other piece of software you will be using is Excel, using an equivalent package should be fine.
Cost Basis: Cost incurred by all
