This article reviews the basic concepts of Social Network Analysis (SNA) and its uses in theoretical and empirical planning literature. Continuing a discussion among planning theorists that was initiated at the 2003 ACSP/AESOP Joint Congress, the authors respond to specific gaps identified in papers presented at that conference. Specifically, the authors review the literature on SNA within disciplines related to planning and empirical planning studies using SNA. The authors find that the knowledge base on SNA specifically and network analysis generally is highly fragmented along disciplinary lines, contributing to the critique that it is a fuzzy concept.

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New analysis tools are expanding the options for innovation researchers. While previous researchers often speculated on the relationship between inputs, such as patents or funding, and outcomes such as product releases or IPOs, new software tools enable researchers to analyze innovation event data more efficiently. Tools such as EventFlow make it possible to rapidly scan visual displays, algorithmically search for patterns, and study an aggregated view that shows common and rare patterns. This paper presents initial examples of how event analytic software tools such as EventFlow could be applied to innovation research, using data from 34,331 drugs or medical devices.