'Mini small worlds' of shortest link paths crossing domain boundaries in an academic Web space

Lennart Björneborn
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Lennart Björneborn: Department of Information Studies, Royal School of Library and Information Science

Scientometrics, 2006, vol. 68, issue 3, No 6, 395-414

Abstract: Summary Combining webometric and social network analytic approaches, this study developed a methodology to sample and identify Web links, pages, and sites that function as small-world connectors affecting short link distances along link paths between different topical domains in an academic Web space. The data set comprised 7669 subsites harvested from 109 UK universities. A novel corona-shaped Web graph model revealed reachability structures among the investigated subsites. Shortest link path netsfunctioned as investigable small-world link structures - 'mini small worlds' - generated by deliberate juxtaposition of topically dissimilar subsites. Indicative findings suggest that personal Web page authors and computer science subsites may be important small-world connectors across sites and topics in an academic Web space. Such connectors may counteract balkanization of the Web into insularities of disconnected and unreachable subpopulations.

Date: 2006
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DOI: 10.1007/s11192-006-0119-8

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