Zachary Neal
@zpneal.bsky.social
470 followers 240 following 130 posts
professor @ michigan state university editor @ global networks research: networks 🕸 | R 👨‍💻 | childfree 🚫 also: wine 🍷 | cats 😺 | travel ✈️ https://www.zacharyneal.com and https://www.thechildfree.org
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zpneal.bsky.social
🎉 #Rstats 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎 3.0.0 is now available on CRAN to help with #NetworkScience.

𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎 transforms a dense or weighted network into a sparse, unweighted one. Version 3.0.0 is completely re-written, with lots of new features...

1/4 🧵

CC: @insna.bsky.social @netscisociety.bsky.social
Illustration depicting the possible applications of the backbone package by visualizing original unweighted, weighted, and projection networks and their corresponding backbones.
zpneal.bsky.social
This is boilerplate text offered in many manuscript submission systems. I’ve asked, but Wiley says they can’t edit it. Until then, I desk reject papers choosing this option from the dropdown menu.
Reposted by Zachary Neal
tiagoventura.bsky.social
How common are “survey professionals” - people who take dozens of online surveys for pay - across online panels, and do they harm data quality?

Our paper, FirstView at @politicalanalysis.bsky.social, tackles this question using browsing data from three U.S. samples (Facebook, YouGov, and Lucid):
Reposted by Zachary Neal
mcbridetd.bsky.social
What Americans Die from?

And what the media reports on...

Our World in Data ourworldindata.org/does-the-new...
Reposted by Zachary Neal
zpneal.bsky.social
Want to promote transparency and clarity in network research by helping develop 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 (𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃)?

Sign up to get involved here: tinyurl.com/help-with-GR...

▪️ All career stages welcome
▪️ All fields welcome
▪️ Be compensated for your time
GRAND Recruitment
Complete this short questionnaire to help develop Guidelines for Reporting About Network Data (GRAND).
tinyurl.com
zpneal.bsky.social
Want to promote transparency and clarity in network research by helping develop 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 (𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃)?

Sign up to get involved here: tinyurl.com/help-with-GR...

▪️ All career stages welcome
▪️ All fields welcome
▪️ Be compensated for your time
GRAND Recruitment
Complete this short questionnaire to help develop Guidelines for Reporting About Network Data (GRAND).
tinyurl.com
zpneal.bsky.social
Republicans are more likely than democrats to think the government should play a role in encouraging people to have kids.

But, there's also less support among Republicans for any actual government policies like subsidized childcare, family medical leave, or IVF coverage.
pewresearch.org
Over half of Americans (53%) now say fewer people choosing to have children in the future would negatively impact the United States. Still, a majority (56%) say the federal government should have no role in encouraging more people to have kids.
Growing share of Americans say fewer people having kids would negatively impact the U.S.
Over half of Americans (53%) now say fewer people choosing to have children in the future would negatively impact the United States.
www.pewresearch.org
Reposted by Zachary Neal
manlius.bsky.social
🚨 Thrilled to release the official repository of the @comunelab.bsky.social!

It centralizes access to decade-long research outputs, including 57 data sets and 22 code libraries.

A titanic effort: 28,000 lines of code

We hope to accelerate #openScience in #ComplexSystems

👉 github.com/CoMuNeLab
Reposted by Zachary Neal
djnavarro.net
A few words on survey weights, why I'm embarrassed to have forgotten to take them into account in the past, and how I got lucky because I personally didn't get burned. Not a mistake I intend to repeat in the future

blog.djnavarro.net/posts/2025-0...
Some notes on survey weights – Notes from a data witch
An area of statistics in which the author is not strong, and really needs to up her game
blog.djnavarro.net
zpneal.bsky.social
I’m hoping William Gosset plays a central role in the plot. 📊
npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 10d
A new Netflix show by the creator of Peaky Blinders fictionalizes the battle for control of the venerable Irish brewing company. Family drama comes to a foamy head in this eight-part series.
Cheers to 'House of Guinness,' which feels like an 1860s, Irish 'Succession'
A new Netflix show by the creator of Peaky Blinders fictionalizes the battle for control of the venerable Irish brewing company. Family drama comes to a foamy head in this eight-part series.
n.pr
Reposted by Zachary Neal
kumu.io
Kumu @kumu.io · 9d
We visualized every INSNA award recipient since the 1980s — a living catalogue of social network analysis (SNA) scholarship.

Explore the map 👉 buff.ly/Imh7Kpd

#SNA #NetworkScience #DataViz #INSNA #Sunbelt2025
zpneal.bsky.social
I’ll usually give about a month for a journal to get a paper under review. If it’s still “awaiting editor assignment” or something like that, I withdraw and send it somewhere else.
Reposted by Zachary Neal
drmeltemyucel.bsky.social
Come join the Moral Minds Lab as a grad student at MSU! Brand-new lab equipped for child & adult testing, with motivated undergrads in a happy department. 🤩

Learn more: www.moralmindslab.com/join-our-tea...

(P.S. @tedmond.bsky.social is also taking a student!) @msupsychology.bsky.social
Family friendly waiting room for participants Family friendly waiting room, picture shows children's play area Room for Research Assistants
Reposted by Zachary Neal
philipncohen.com
Plan U, for universal, is the necessary standard. Post everything as a preprint at or before point of submission. Then publish in any journal you want but never pay exorbitant APCs.
Reposted by Zachary Neal
zpneal.bsky.social
🎉 #Rstats 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎 3.0.0 is now available on CRAN to help with #NetworkScience.

𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎 transforms a dense or weighted network into a sparse, unweighted one. Version 3.0.0 is completely re-written, with lots of new features...

1/4 🧵

CC: @insna.bsky.social @netscisociety.bsky.social
Illustration depicting the possible applications of the backbone package by visualizing original unweighted, weighted, and projection networks and their corresponding backbones.
Reposted by Zachary Neal
vtraag.bsky.social
Nearly twenty years after the first igraph release, igraph 1.0 has finally arrived! 🎉 This release focuses on providing a stable and more consistent interface that users and downstream maintainers can rely on with confidence. For more detail, see igraph.org/2025/09/20/i...
C/igraph 1.0.0
Nearly twenty years after the first igraph release, igraph 1.0 has finally arrived. This release focuses on providing a stable and more consistent interface that users and downstream maintainers can r...
igraph.org
zpneal.bsky.social
If p < 0.05 is Wicked Significant, what is p < 0.01?
APSA in Vancouver was a blast, so great to see old friends. See you all next year in Boston.
zpneal.bsky.social
Want to learn more about how backbones work?

▪️ 𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎("𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎") is a detailed introduction
▪️ 𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎("𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎108") is a complete empirical example
▪️ 𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎("𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝_𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜") shows how the package has been tested

Let me know if you find any bugs, have feature request, or want a HEX sticker!

4/4
zpneal.bsky.social
Have some unique backbone extraction needs?

▪️ Four models for weighted networks
▪️ Five models for weighted projections
▪️ 10+ models for unweighted networks

And, the code now has a modular structure, so it's easy to request or contribute new models.

3/4
zpneal.bsky.social
The syntax is simplified. What kind of network do you want to extract a backbone from?

▪️ 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎_𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖_𝚞𝚗𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚍()
▪️ 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎_𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖_𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚍()
▪️ 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎_𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖_𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗()

From there, the defaults will usually work. And 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 = 𝚃𝚁𝚄𝙴 will tell you everything the function did.

2/4
zpneal.bsky.social
🎉 #Rstats 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎 3.0.0 is now available on CRAN to help with #NetworkScience.

𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚋𝚘𝚗𝚎 transforms a dense or weighted network into a sparse, unweighted one. Version 3.0.0 is completely re-written, with lots of new features...

1/4 🧵

CC: @insna.bsky.social @netscisociety.bsky.social
Illustration depicting the possible applications of the backbone package by visualizing original unweighted, weighted, and projection networks and their corresponding backbones.
zpneal.bsky.social
This seems very reasonable. Not unlike psychologists (and others, maybe to a lesser extent) being clear whether they used a scale or a sub-scale.
zpneal.bsky.social
Uncommon now, but apparently common enough in some circles that the New Yorker once published a parody. www.newyorker.com/magazine/199...
A NOTE ON THE TYPE
www.newyorker.com
Reposted by Zachary Neal
nwlandry.bsky.social
Teaching questions based on a wild first few weeks: (1) any tips for introducing Python to students with a wide range of coding skills in a network science class? Although it's clear that a 1 hour weekly lab is not enough time to learn a new coding language, I don't want to eat up all of class time.