plot_graph_stats creates line or bar plots to visualize network-level
statistics across multiple networks, time points, or layers. This function
is designed to work with output from summary_net() or similar functions
that produce network-level summary statistics.
Arguments
- summary_df
A data frame containing network-level statistics, typically from
summary_net(). Must include a "net" column identifying each network or time point. May include a "layer" column for multilayer networks. All other columns should contain numeric statistics to plot.- type
Character string specifying the plot type. Options are:
"line": Line plot with points (default). Best for temporal data"bar": Bar plot with grouped bars. Required for multilayer non-temporal data
- specific_stats
Character vector of statistic names to plot. If NULL (default), plots all numeric columns in summary_df. Must match column names exactly.
Value
A ggplot object displaying the specified statistics. The plot structure depends on the data:
Single time/network: Returns error (single row not plottable)
Multiple times/networks: Line or bar plot faceted by statistic
Multilayer temporal: Line plots colored by layer
Multilayer non-temporal: Grouped bar plots by layer
All plots are faceted by statistic with free y-axis scales for better comparison across different value ranges.
Details
Data structure detection:
The function automatically detects the structure of your data:
Longitudinal: Multiple unique values in "net" column
Multilayer: Multiple unique values in "layer" column
Single network: Only one row (returns error with suggestion)
Plot type selection:
Line plots are preferred for temporal data to show trends
Bar plots are automatically selected for multilayer non-temporal data
Bar plots can be useful for comparing discrete time points
Faceting behavior:
Each statistic gets its own facet panel with:
Independent y-axis scales (scales = "free_y")
Shared x-axis across all panels
Automatic layout based on number of statistics