Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Quality of Social Network Data

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Social Network Analysis and Mining

  • 78 Accesses

Synonyms

Accuracy; Reliability; Validity

Glossary

Accuracy:

Extent to which the perceived (cognitive) network corresponds to the “actual” (behavioral) network

Attenuation:

Extent to which relationships among variables are lower than they should be as a result of measurement error

Cognitive Interview:

In-depth interview conducted with the aim of understanding the mental process through which the respondent understands the question and produces the answer

Measurement:

Assignment of numbers to objects according to rules

Measurement Error:

Discrepancy between a true and observed characteristic. It may be random (lack of reliability) or systematic (lack of validity)

Operationalization:

Assignment of empirical indicators (e.g., survey questions) to a theoretical variable to be measured

Pearson Correlation Coefficient:

Statistical measure of association between two numeric variables which are assumed to be linearly related, ranging from 1 (perfect linear positive relationship) to −1 (perfect...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bernard HR, Killworth PD (1977) Informant accuracy in social network data II. Hum Commun Res 4:3–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard HR, Killworth PD, Sailer L (1979/1980) Informant accuracy in social network data IV: a comparison of clique-level structure in behavioral and cognitive network data. Soc Netw 2:191–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard HR, Killworth PD, Sailer L (1982) Informant accuracy in social network data V: an experimental attempt to predict actual communication from recall data. Soc Sci Res 11:30–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard HR, Killworth PD, Kronenfeld D, Sailer L (1985) On the validity of retrospective data. Annu Rev Anthropol 13:495–517. Palo Alto, Stanford University Press

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bondonio D (1998) Predictors of accuracy in perceiving informal social networks. Soc Netw 20:301–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Callegaro M, Lozar-Manfreda K, Vehovar V (2015) Web survey methodology. Sage, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Cantril H (1944) Gauging public opinion. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Casciaro T (1998) Seeing things clearly: social structure, personality and accuracy in social network perception. Soc Netw 20:331–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coenders G, Hlebec V, Kogovšek T (2011) Measurement quality in indicators of compositions: a compositional multitrait-multimethod approach. Surv Res Methods 5:63–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Coromina L, Coenders G (2006) Reliability and validity of egocentered network data collected via web: a metaanalysis of multilevel multitrait multimethod studies. Soc Netw 28:209–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferligoj A, Hlebec V (1999) Evaluation of social network measurement instruments. Soc Netw 21:111–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman LC, Romney AK (1987) Words, deeds and social structure: a preliminary study of the reliability of informants. Hum Organ 46:330–334

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman LC, Romney AK, Freeman SC (1987) Cognitive structure and informant accuracy. Am Anthropol 89:311–325

    Google Scholar 

  • Hlebec V, Ferligoj A (2001) Respondent mood and the instability of survey network measurements. Soc Netw 23:125–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hlebec V, Kogovšek T (2013) Different approaches to measure ego-centered social support networks: a meta-analysis. Qual Quant 47:3435–3455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Killworth PD, Bernard HR (1976) Informant accuracy in social network data. Hum Organ 3:269–286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Killworth PD, Bernard HR (1979/1980) Informant accuracy in social network data III: a comparison of triadic structure in behavioral and cognitive data. Soc Netw 2:10–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogovšek T (2006) Reliability and validity of measuring social support networks by the web and telephone. Metodološki Zvezki 3:239–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Kogovšek T, Ferligoj A (2005) Effects on reliability and validity of egocentered network measurements. Soc Netw 27:205–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogovšek T, Hlebec V (2008) Measuring ego-centered social networks: do cheaper methods with low respondent burden provide good estimates of network composition? Metodološki Zvezki 5:127–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Kogovšek T, Ferligoj A, Saris WE, Coenders G (2002) Estimating the reliability and validity of personal support measures: full information ML estimation with planned incomplete data. Soc Netw 24:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kogovšek T, Coenders G, Hlebec V (2013) Predictors and outcomes of social network compositions: a compositional structural equation modeling approach. Soc Netw. 35:1–10. doi:10.1016/j.socnet.2012.10.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krackhardt D (1987) Cognitive social structures. Soc Netw 9:109–134

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Lozar Manfreda K, Koren G, Vehovar V, Hlebec V (2004a) Collecting data on ego-centered social networks on the web: methodological issues. In: SUNBELT XXIV international social network conference, Portorož, 12–16 May 2004, p 162

    Google Scholar 

  • Lozar Manfreda K, Vehovar V, Hlebec V (2004b) Collecting ego-centered network data via the web. Metodološki zvezki 1:295–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsden PV (1993) The reliability of network density and composition measures. Soc Netw 15:399–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan DL, Neal MB, Carder P (1997) The stability of core and peripheral networks over time. Soc Netw 19:9–25

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadoh J, Podreberšek P, Hlebec V (2004) Cognitive evaluation of the hierarchical approach for measuring ego-centered social networks. Metodološki Zvezki 1:379–393

    Google Scholar 

  • Pattison P (1994) Social cognition in context: some applications of social network analysis. In: Wasserman S, Galaskiewicz J (eds) Advances in social network analysis: research in the social and behavioral sciences. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 79–109

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pawlowsky-Glahn V, Egozcue JJ, Tolosana-Delgado R (2015) Modeling and analysis of compositional data. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaux A (1988) Social support, theory, research, and intervention. Praeger, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Vehovar V, Lozar Manfreda K, Koren G, Hlebec V (2008) Measuring ego-centered social networks on the web: questionnaire design issues. Soc Netw 30:213–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zemljič B, Hlebec V (2005) Reliability of measures of centrality and prominence. Soc Netw 27:73–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

Recommended Reading

  • Carmines EG, Zeller RA (1979) Reliability and validity assessment. Sage, Beverly Hills

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Groves RM, Fowler FJ Jr, Couper MP, Lepkowski JM, Singer E, Tourangeau R (2009) Survey methodology. Wiley, New York

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Schuman H, Presser S (1996) Questions and answers in attitude surveys: experiments on question form, order and context. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Sudman S, Bradburn NM, Schwarz N (1996) Thinking about answers: the application of cognitive processes to survey methodology. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, University of Girona, Girona, 17003, Spain

    Germà Coenders & Lluís Coromina

  2. Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Tina Kogovšek

  3. Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Valentina Hlebec

Authors
  1. Germà Coenders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tina Kogovšek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Valentina Hlebec
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lluís Coromina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Germà Coenders .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Reda Alhajj

  2. University of Calgary Computer Science, Calgary, Canada

    Jon Rokne

Section Editor information

  1. University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    V. S. Subrahmanian

  2. RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology), Melbourne, Australia

    Jeffrey Chan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

About this entry

Cite this entry

Coenders, G., Kogovšek, T., Hlebec, V., Coromina, L. (2017). Quality of Social Network Data. In: Alhajj, R., Rokne, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Social Network Analysis and Mining. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7163-9_398-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7163-9_398-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7163-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7163-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Computer SciencesReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation