Measuring Centrality in Legal Citation Networks – A Case Study of the HITS and PageRank Algorithms

Abstract

The use of network analysis in legal studies has increased rapidly in recent years. Many legal scholars have been attracted to network analysis, among other things by the possibility of conducting large-scale studies of case law. However, when in time we study a citation network impacts the results, sometimes significantly. To reduce this problem, this paper proposes that scholars use PageRank when studying inward citations in legal citation network and a similar measurement, HubRank, when studying outward citations, rather than the HITS algorithm. However, the paper also advocates further methodological discussion and development.

Keywords: methodology, network analysis, citation network, centrality, HITS, PageRank, persuasive power, precedential power, Reverse PageRank, HubRank