The relationship between acquaintanceship and coauthorship in scientific collaboration networks

摘要

This article examines the relationship between acquaintanceship andcoauthorship patterns in a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional,geographically distributed research center. Two social networks are constructedand compared: a network of coauthorship, representing how researchers writearticles with one another, and a network of acquaintanceship, representing howthose researchers know each other on a personal level, based on their responsesto an online survey. Statistical analyses of the topology and communitystructure of these networks point to the importance of small-scale, local,personal networks predicated upon acquaintanceship for accomplishingcollaborative work in scientific communities.