1. ¹School of Management, University of Bath, Bath, U.K.
2. ²Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester, U.K.

Correspondence: Richard Vidgen, School of Management, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, U.K. E-mail: R.T.Vidgen@bath.ac.uk

Received 17 January 2006; Revised 20 December 2006; Accepted 25 January 2007.

Abstract

This paper presents a social network analysis (SNA) of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) community based on patterns of co-authorship. ECIS contributions are separated into research papers and panels to create social networks that are then analyzed using a range of global network level and individual ego (co-author, panellist) measures. The research community is found to have few properties of the 'small world' and to represent an agglomeration of co-authorships. The panels network has the properties of a 'small world' and displays a stronger sense of social cohesion. An analysis of individual actors (egos) provides insight into who is central to the ECIS community. Based on the SNA, a range of possible interventions are proposed that could aid the future development of the ECIS community. The paper concludes by considering the usefulness of SNA as a method to support IS research.