This special issue on social networks comes out of a National Research Methods Centre/ESRC funded seminar series, led by Nick Crossley, and co-led by John Scott and Christina Prell. The seminar series focused around various themes and issues pertaining to social networks. Part of this series' aim was to reinvigorate UK interest in a field that had, in the past, been significantly shaped by the contributions of UK scholars, but in more recent times had been eclipsed by the efforts of US and European scholars.