Organizers
Elvira Pelle (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)
Susanna Zaccarin (University of Trieste)
Giulia Rivellini (University "Cattolica del Sacro Cuore")
Title: Advances in personal network analysis
Abstract: In our increasingly interconnected world, personal network analysis can deepen our understanding of social structures and interactions. This session aims to foster a discussion on innovative methodologies and applications of personal network analysis in the social sciences, providing valuable insights into social and demographic behaviors, dynamics, attitudes, and access to resources.
We welcome contributions that:
- highlight the impact of personal networks on various social phenomena, including health outcomes, information dissemination, and social capital;
- propose methodological approaches used for the analysis of personal networks;
- explore the implications of knowing personal networks in understanding social and demographic trends;
- share knowledge about data sources oriented to personal networks analysis.
Organizers
Valeria Policastro (University of Naples Federico II)
Roberto Rondinelli (University of Naples Federico II)
Title: Attributed Networks: methods and applications
Abstract: Attributed networks, networks whose nodes are associated with quantitative and/or qualitative information, represent a key analytical framework for the study of complex systems. In contrast to traditional network analysis focused solely on structural topology, attributed networks enable the integration of node-level features such as demographics, behaviours, or preferences, thus offering a more nuanced understanding of the phenomena. Attributes play a crucial role in shaping network structure, influencing dynamics such as homophily, social influence, and territorial proximity. While much of the research in network science has historically concentrated on structural properties, such as community detection through modularity, betweenness, or random walks, recent work has highlighted the need to incorporate node attributes to improve the interpretability and accuracy of such analyses. This session explores methodological advances and practical applications in the analysis of attributed networks. Contributions may include new models, distance measures, or representational strategies that exploit attribute data to better characterise network patterns, coherence, and the underlying processes of network formation.
Organizers
Tomas Diviak (University of Manchester)
Peter Carrington (University of Waterloo)
Paolo Campana (University of Cambridge)
Title: Criminal Networks
Abstract: The importance of social networks for analysing and explaining criminal behaviour has been widely recognized. A wide range of illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, human smuggling, or terrorism requires coordination among offenders to be successfully performed. It is not surprising, therefore, that the network perspective on crime has recently gained popularity, both among academics and law enforcement practitioners, as it captures the essence of such activities.
However, the study of criminal networks is challenging. Data collection is difficult in situations where subjects themselves aim not to be detected. Gathering first-hand evidence on such phenomena is therefore extremely difficult, and in some cases dangerous. Scholars have thus relied on police data, such as arrests, or investigative evidence, such as electronic surveillance or phone records, to build an empirical base for their analysis. A second challenge is methodological, i.e., matching or developing the right statistical models based on the specificities of criminal networks to adequately test criminological theories, allowing to move beyond descriptive network measures.
This session is dedicated to innovative research at the intersection of network analysis and criminology. We welcome a wide range of submissions focused on criminal networks, including methodological, theoretical, and empirical studies. Particularly welcome are submissions that bring in innovative data, measures, models, or algorithms that shed light onto structures and dynamics of criminal networks. This session aims to bridge disciplines, and to inspire discussion and collaboration.
Organizers
Michelangelo Misuraca (University of Salerno)
Maria Spano (University of Naples Federico II)
Title: From text to context: network analysis in text mining
Abstract: In the contemporary digital landscape, textual data has emerged as a crucial source of information for understanding social, cultural, and economic dynamics. Every day, individuals and organisations generate and exchange a massive volume of written content, including opinions, reports, enquiries, which increasingly supplement or complement traditional data forms. Unlike classical numerical or categorical datasets, text presents intrinsic challenges due to the unstructured and ambiguous nature of natural language. The process of transforming such material into analytically tractable forms requires careful and rigorous pre-processing, as the information is not readily extractable without sophisticated methodological interventions. Consequently, the statistical analysis of textual corpora demands a multi-layered workflow designed to structure, reduce, and interpret raw texts through quantitative lenses. Text Mining encompasses a broad spectrum of analytical tasks that address diverse cognitive and operational needs. In recent years, network analysis has become a particularly powerful and versatile tool within this context, offering unique insights into the relational structures embedded in language. By representing textual data as co-occurrence networks, semantic graphs, or discourse communities, network-based approaches enable the identification of latent structures, thematic clusters, and central patterns of meaning. These methods are especially well-suited to capturing the complexity of language use in large corpora and are increasingly employed in conjunction with traditional multivariate techniques.
This thematic session aims to provide a rigorous and up-to-date overview of these developments while fostering dialogue around methodological advancements and applied contributions in the field. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, models for text representation, dimensionality reduction strategies, text classification, and, centrally, applications of network science to textual data. Contributions may encompass theoretical proposals, novel algorithms, or empirical studies that address substantive research questions through the statistical and network-based analysis of text. The session aspires to offer both conceptual grounding and a showcase of applied innovations.
Organizers
PRIN 2022 PEER UP Research Units Cagliari, Firenze, Salerno
Isabella Sulis (University of Cagliari)
Valentina Tocchioni (University of Florence)
Maria Prosperina Vitale (University of Salerno)
Title: Inequalities in Education: The Role of Schools, Peers, and Transitions
Abstract: This session explores inequalities within the Italian educational system, focusing on how schools and academic environments shape peer interactions and influence educational outcomes. Drawing on national data from INVALSI and the MOBYSU.IT dataset, contributions will analyze learning gaps at the end of high school (grade 13), the role of soft and disciplinary skills, and transitions to university. The discussion will address how peer effects contribute to the reproduction of social, gender, and territorial disparities, in line with the PNRR's goals of promoting equal generational, gender, and geographical opportunities. Contributions will explore both traditional indicators and network data, to better understand the dynamics of peer influence and institutional context in shaping student trajectories.
We welcome contributions that address, among others, the following topics:
- The impact of school context and peer networks on educational outcomes
- Social and gender inequalities in learning and transitions to higher education
- The role of soft skills and disciplinary competences in shaping academic performance
- Longitudinal analyses of student trajectories using national or regional datasets
- Comparative studies across geographical areas or school types
- Evaluations of policies or interventions aimed at reducing inequality in education
Organizers
Sabrina Giordano (University of Calabria)
Claudia Tarantola (University of Milan)
Title: Network Models for Complex Phenomena in Music, Sport, and Psychology
Abstract: This session explores the use of network models to analyze and interpret complex relational structures in music, sport, and psychology, three distinct yet intrinsically interconnected domains. What unites these fields is the inherently relational nature of the data: musical compositions and preferences emerge from interdependencies between notes, genres, and listeners; sporting events are driven by coordinated actions among players and evolving tactical relationships; psychological phenomena are often embedded in networks of behaviors and social connections. Network-based approaches enable researchers to move beyond the analysis of isolated variables and instead model these domains as systems of interacting components. The session brings together contributions that employ statistical and computational network models to identify patterns, infer latent structures, and generate new interpretations across the three domains. Presentations will illustrate how network science can provide insights into creativity and influence in music, team dynamics and tactical evolution in sport, and cognitive, behavioral, and social processes in psychology. By addressing these topics together, the session encourages a cross-disciplinary dialogue on the power of network models to reveal the interconnectedness of human behavior, interaction, and cultural expression.
Organizers
Antonietta Riccardo (IRPPS - National Research Council)
Irene Psaroudakis (University of Pisa)
Maria Camilla Fraudatario (IRPPS - National Research Council)
Title: Network strategies, welfare, and community
Abstract: At the local level, within the framework of community welfare and community-building strategies, networking among individuals, families, third-sector organizations, and public institutions (i.e. Social Work) can foster complex social ecosystems oriented toward collective empowerment. The literature emphasizes that these network dynamics enhance the social capital of territories, leading to positive outcomes in both personal, interpersonal, and inter-organizational networks of social actors.
In a context marked by increasingly complex social needs, promoting synergies among local actors – both formal and informal – emerges as a key asset for enhancing social support. Community work provides a crucial arena for building and sustaining these interactions, generating tangible effects on citizens’ well-being and everyday lives across multiple levels.
This session invites contributions from scholars across various research fields – such as the study of local communities, welfare, and network governance – who share a theoretical and analytical interest in interpreting network processes within community life.
Proposals adopting Mixed-Method approaches which combine the structural analysis of networks with qualitative tools useful for policy-making, and for monitoring, and evaluating public policies, will be particularly encouraged. The main topics are:
- Networks of community welfare
- Networks of third-sector organizations
- Social support and social capital
- Network intervention in local communities
- Inter-organisational network between public and private actors
Organizers
Marco Serino (University of Naples Federico II)
Ronald Breiger (University of Arizona)
Title: Networks in culture, culture in networks
Abstract: The last three decades have witnessed a “cultural turn” in social network analysis (SNA), with a wealth of studies focusing on the relational nature of culture, providing the social sciences with theoretical and methodological insights into how culture and social structure are intertwined. Indeed, despite the early development of SNA happening “in opposition to culture” and with a stance averse to categorical entities as the focus of sociological analysis, culture subsequently became increasingly interesting for network scholars. Different trends have marked this effervescence: the importance of categories in network studies has been recognised and reaffirmed, the study of networks and meanings has flourished, and interest in the structural analysis of discursive domains gained increased prominence. More generally, culture has become central to the agenda of a growing network of social network scholars, allowing them to reveal the relational patterns that constitute the diverse sociocultural and socio-semantic domains of contemporary societies in the broadest sense, such as artistic practices, cultural consumption, the media, political discourse, scientific knowledge, and more. In addition, formal approaches to culture – including the “cultural matrix” approach – have fostered a cultural analysis apt to trace the complex texture of linkages involving social actors and the various symbolic goods and cultural practices they produce and reproduce. These formal approaches have also benefited from advancements in analytical methods and increased data availability from online sources. Therefore, the aim of this session is to welcome methodological and empirical contributions that would further enhance the sociological analysis of culture, in order to collect and discuss relevant studies on (but not limited to) these areas: cultural genres as networks; collaboration networks in cultural fields; the entanglement of networks and categories; cultural networks in online social fields; network analysis of discourse; (socio)semantic network analysis; narrative networks.
Organizers
Lara Fontanella ("Gabriele d’Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara)
Giuseppe Giordano (University of Salerno)
Michelangelo Misuraca (University of Salerno)
Title: Networks of Hate: Analysing User and Language Patterns in Racist Discourse
Abstract: The last three decades have witnessed a “cultural turn” in social network analysis (SNA), with a wealth of studies focusing on the relational nature of culture, providing the social sciences with theoretical and methodological insights into how culture and social structure are intertwined. Indeed, despite the early development of SNA happening “in opposition to culture” and with a stance averse to categorical entities as the focus of sociological analysis, culture subsequently became increasingly interesting for network scholars. Different trends have marked this effervescence: the importance of categories in network studies has been recognised and reaffirmed, the study of networks and meanings has flourished, and interest in the structural analysis of discursive domains gained increased prominence. More generally, culture has become central to the agenda of a growing network of social network scholars, allowing them to reveal the relational patterns that constitute the diverse sociocultural and socio-semantic domains of contemporary societies in the broadest sense, such as artistic practices, cultural consumption, the media, political discourse, scientific knowledge, and more. In addition, formal approaches to culture – including the “cultural matrix” approach – have fostered a cultural analysis apt to trace the complex texture of linkages involving social actors and the various symbolic goods and cultural practices they produce and reproduce. These formal approaches have also benefited from advancements in analytical methods and increased data availability from online sources. Therefore, the aim of this session is to welcome methodological and empirical contributions that would further enhance the sociological analysis of culture, in order to collect and discuss relevant studies on (but not limited to) these areas: cultural genres as networks; collaboration networks in cultural fields; the entanglement of networks and categories; cultural networks in online social fields; network analysis of discourse; (socio)semantic network analysis; narrative networks.
Organizers
Viviana Amati (University of Milano-Bicocca)
Domenico De Stefano (University of Trieste)
Title: Novel Approaches in Statistical Network Modeling and their Applications
Abstract: The session focuses on the development and applications of statistical models designed to explain the structure and dynamics of social networks. Contributions may address models for cross-sectional, longitudinal, or time-stamped networks, and may consider a variety of tie types, including dichotomous, weighted, signed, or multiplex relations. We welcome submissions that present novel methodological advancements and applications in this field, particularly those that include empirical illustrations. Examples of application fields may be: friendship networks, collaboration patterns in scientific communities, communication flows within or between organizations, and political alliances.
The session fosters discussion on both theoretical and empirical challenges in network modeling, encourages interdisciplinary approaches, and highlights innovative uses of statistical methods to model relational data.
Organizers
PRIN 2022 PEER UP Members of Salerno Research Group
Nunzia Brancaccio (University of Salerno)
Maria Carmela Catone (University of Salerno)
Massimo Del Forno (University of Salerno)
Giuseppe Giordano (University of Salerno)
Michele La Rocca (University of Salerno)
Mariadomenica Lo Nostro (University of Salerno)
Angela Pacca (University of Salerno, University of Florence)
Giancarlo Ragozini ((University of Naples Federico II)
Marialuisa Restaino (University of Salerno)
Maria Prosperina Vitale (University of Salerno)
Title: Peer Networks and Educational Choices. Methods and Insights from School-Based Research
Abstract: This session proposes to explore the role of peer networks in shaping students’ educational choices through innovative applications of social network analysis in school settings. Drawing on data collected via both traditional surveys and network-specific design, the focus is on how interpersonal relationships within classrooms—alongside family, institutional, and social contexts—affect student decision-making during key educational transitions from high school to university. A central methodological feature is the use of egocentric and sociocentric network data. Students were asked to identify peers they turn to for friendship, academic advice, emotional support, and guidance on educational or career plans. This design enables a detailed reconstruction of classroom social structures, facilitating the study of social influence and selection dynamics.
The session invites contributions that apply network-based methods to investigate:
- Peer effects in educational transitions
- The role of social support in shaping aspirations
- Methodological innovations in collecting network data in schools
- Ethical and practical challenges in educational network research design
- Comparative perspectives on the role of social ties in education
- Tools and platforms supporting network research (e.g., software, apps)
- Mixed-methods approaches combining quantitative, qualitative and network data
Organizers
Anna Piazza (University of Greenwich)
Srinidhi Vasudevan (University of Greenwich)
Guido Conaldi (University of Greenwich)
Title: Social Network Analysis in Cybersecurity: Navigating Digital Transformation through Network Perspectives
Abstract: As organisations undergo digital transformation, cybersecurity challenges have evolved beyond technological concerns to encompass social dimensions. This session explores how Social Network Analysis provides frameworks for understanding security in digitally transformed environments.
Digital transformation has altered organisational structures, communication patterns, and security paradigms (Imran et al. 2021). As organisations adopt digital technologies, human-technology interactions present a dual-edged sword. These interactions can strengthen digital resilience through enhanced threat detection response (Salvi et al., 2022), improved security awareness (Jiang et al., 2023), and strengthened cybersecurity governance (Shah et al., 2023), while also creating vulnerability landscapes due to algorithmic manipulations (Susser et al., 2019), AI bias (Tocchetti et al., 2025), and lack of digital literacy (Weibel et al., 2023).
Networks underpin digital transformation, shaped by cyber norms and contexts. Research demonstrates the value of quantifying social relationships in cyberspace:
- Threat intelligence sharing and informal networks (Piazza et al., 2023)
- Threat intelligence sharing between cybersecurity vendors (Zrahia A. 2018)
- Security champions and influence in organizational networks
- Security awareness diffusion in workplaces
- Trust networks in identity management
- Regulatory compliance networks
This session brings together research addressing network-centric perspectives. We solicit contributions that model, predict, and explain networks in digitalised environments. Topics include:
- Digital transformation impacts on cybersecurity networks
- Security behaviour in transformed workplaces
- User behaviour, misinformation and disinformation across digital platforms
- Information sharing for threat intelligence
- Governance structures and cyber policy
- Data science for cyber-social systems
- Network resilience in transformation
- Zero-trust architecture through social network perspectives
- Digital identity relationship modelling
- Blockchain and trust mechanisms
- Regulatory networks and cybersecurity policy
- Cyber incident reporting networks
- Cross-jurisdictional compliance in ledger systems
- Social dynamics of cryptocurrency
- Open innovation, AI and collaboration networks
Organizers
Massimo Aria (University of Naples Federico II)
Maria Carmela Catone (University of Salerno)
Giuseppe Giordano (University of Salerno)
Title: Social Network Analysis in Scientometric Research
Abstract: Social Network Analysis (SNA) offers powerful tools to explore how scientific domains evolve and connect. This session highlights the role of SNA within Scientometric studies to map research fields, knowledge dynamics, conceptual and intellectual structures. We invite scholars to share their research results about the complex relationships between scientific collaboration, knowledge dynamics, and intellectual influence, fostering a deeper understanding of how these elements shape scientific processes with SNA.
By identifying collaboration patterns and tracing the flows of knowledge, SNA enables researchers to understand how innovation unfolds, revealing the interconnected pathways that foster scientific breakthroughs and changes. In this session, studies using SNA to examine theoretically and/or empirically disciplinary boundaries, community cohesion, and knowledge diffusion are welcome. Emphasis is placed on theoretical frameworks, metrics, and visualization tools able to connect network structure to conceptual understanding.
Organizers
Sara Geremia (University of Trieste)
Michael Fop (University College Dublin)
Title: Statistical approaches for clustering and community detection in complex networks
Abstract: With the increasing availability and complexity of network data, statistical approaches have been proposed to enable clustering and community detection across diverse applications.
This session is dedicated to showcasing recent advancements in model-based clustering and community detection for complex network structures. Model-based and probabilistic approaches provide a unified framework for inference, uncertainty quantification, and model interpretation and validation. Prominent model-based frameworks include stochastic block models, latent space cluster models, and mixtures of exponential random graph models, among others. Recent methodological advancements have extended model-based clustering and community detection to complex network structures, including collections of networks, multiplex and multilayer networks, hypergraphs, dynamic and temporal networks, and specialized forms of weighted networks (e.g., compositional, signed, textual).
We welcome contributions presenting novel, application-driven methodological developments motivated by challenges arising in various scientific disciplines. Particular focus is placed on applications in the social sciences, including data from social surveys, the science of science, online social networks, migration studies, and more.
