Drawing examples from real-world networks, this essential book traces the methods behind network analysis and explains how network data is first gathered, then processed and interpreted. The text will equip you with a toolbox of diverse methods and data modelling approaches, allowing you to quickly start making your own calculations on a huge variety of networked systems. This book sets you up to succeed, addressing the questions of what you need to know and what to do with it, when beginning to work with network data. The hands-on approach adopted throughout means that beginners quickly become capable practitioners, guided by a wealth of interesting examples that demonstrate key concepts. Exercises using real-world data extend and deepen your understanding, and develop effective working patterns in network calculations and analysis. Suitable for both graduate students and researchers across a range of disciplines, this novel text provides a fast-track to network data expertise.