In the past decade, the study of networks has increased dramatically. Researchers from across the sciences—including biology and bioinformatics, computer science, economics, engineering, mathematics, physics, sociology, and statistics—are more and more involved with the collection and statistical analysis of network-indexed data. As a result, statistical methods and models are being developed in this area at a furious pace, with contributions coming from a wide spectrum of disciplines.

This book provides an up-to-date treatment of the foundations common to the statistical analysis of network data across the disciplines. The material is organized according to a statistical taxonomy, although the presentation entails a conscious balance of concepts versus mathematics. In addition, the examples—including extended cases studies—are drawn widely from the literature. This book should be of substantial interest both to statisticians and to anyone else working in the area of ‘network science.’

The coverage of topics in this book is broad, but unfolds in a systematic manner, moving from descriptive (or exploratory) methods, to sampling, to modeling and inference. Specific topics include network mapping, characterization of network structure, network sampling, and the modeling, inference, and prediction of networks, network processes, and network flows. This book is the first such resource to present material on all of these core topics in one place.

Eric Kolaczyk is a professor of statistics, and Director of the Program in Statistics, in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Boston University, where he also is an affiliated faculty member in the Center for Biodynamics, the Program in Bioinformatics, and the Division of Systems Engineering. His publications on network-based topics include work ranging from the detection of anomalous traffic patterns in computer networks to the prediction of biological function in networks of interacting proteins to the characterization of influence of groups of actors in social networks.

Networks have permeated everyday life through everyday realities like the Internet, social networks, and viral marketing. As such, network analysis is an important growth area in the quantitative sciences, with roots in social network analysis going back to the 1930s and graph theory going back centuries. Measurement and analysis are integral components of network research. As a result, statistical methods play a critical role in network analysis. This book is the first of its kind in network research. It can be used as a stand-alone resource in which multiple R packages are used to illustrate how to conduct a wide range of network analyses, from basic manipulation and visualization, to summary and characterization, to modeling of network data. The central package isigraph, which provides extensive capabilities for studying network graphs in R. This text builds on Eric D. Kolaczyk’s book Statistical Analysis of Network Data (Springer, 2009).