Since I started posting network tutorials on this site, people occasionally write to ask about the included example datasets. I also get emails asking where to find network data for a project or for teaching, so here is a quick answer.
The datasets in my tutorials are mostly synthetic (or trimmed and heavily manipulated) to illustrate visualization techniques in a manageable way. Feel free to use them (citing or linking to the source is appreciated), but keep in mind that they are artificially generated and not the result of actual data collection. When I do use empirical data, the download files include documentation (if I collected the data) or clearly point to the source (if someone else did).
If you are looking for network data, large or small, there are several excellent open repositories. Here is a short list; feel free to email me other good links and I will add them.
- Stanford Large Network Dataset Collection
- UCI Network Data Repository
- Network Data Repository
- ASU social computing data repository
- Indiana University CNetS data
- KONECT, the Koblenz Network Collection
- SocioPatterns datasets
- UCINET datasets
- Pajek datasets
Another good place to find links to network resources, including data repositories, is the Awesome Network Analysis list curated by François Briatte.
For network data to use in teaching, I also recommend having students collect their own data, for instance from social media platforms with an open API, or by running a short name-generator survey of their own class.