Main Path Analysis

The backbone citation chain through a citation network.

The Main Path Analysis widget.

Overview

Computes the main path of a citation network — the chain of documents that carries the greatest traversal weight (SPC/SPLC) from the field’s earliest to its most recent work, i.e. the trunk of knowledge flow. Useful for telling the “story” of a field in a handful of pivotal papers.

Inputs

• Data (Table) — OpenAlex-enriched data (referenced works).

Outputs

• Main Path (Table) — the documents on the main path, in order.

• Stats (Table) — network statistics.

Controls

• Paper ID / References — identifier and references columns.

• Method — traversal-count weighting (e.g. SPC / SPLC / SPNP).

Actions: Find Main Path.