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Foundational contributions in complex systems and network science

We are collecting expert input to identify foundational contributions in complex systems, network science, and related domains.

This is an academic, non-commercial initiative, led by Manlio De Domenico, University of Padua. To know more about it, visit the dedicated webpage.

Please submit DOI references to papers you consider essential for understanding the field’s conceptual, theoretical, methodological, or applied foundations.

The survey takes less than 10 minutes.

ABOUT YOU

Your full name:

Your Email for contacts

Your main area of expertise

Career stage

Do you agree to be contacted (only if strictly needed) and acknowledged by name in future outputs?

Do you agree to be contacted (only if strictly needed) and acknowledged by name in future outputs?
A
B

FOUNDATIONAL PAPERS

Please indicate up to 5 papers you consider foundational for complex systems and network science, regardless of whether they may already be included in existing curated lists.

This section captures your independent view of what defines the field.

Example:
If you think a paper like Shannon (1948) or Barabási & Albert (1999) is fundamental, include it here, even if it is widely known.

You may include your own work if you consider it truly foundational; however, please prioritize contributions based on their relevance to the field rather than authorship. Self-nominations will be evaluated with particular care during analysis

Paper #1

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

Paper #2

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

Paper #3

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

Paper #4

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

Paper #5

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

MISSING OR UNDERREPRESENTED PAPERS

Now indicate up to 5 additional papers that you believe are missing or underrepresented in current mappings of the field. This includes:

- important papers that are often overlooked - contributions from adjacent domains that shaped key ideas - works that are central in specific subfields but not widely recognized

Examples:
- A foundational contribution from another domain that shaped concepts used in complex systems, even if not labeled as such, e.g. the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, which formalizes information flow in biological systems.

- A contribution within complex systems that introduced an important concept or mechanism but remained mostly visible within a specific subcommunity, e.g. early work on adaptive networks, self-organization, multiscale dynamics, or information-theoretic approaches that may not appear in broad keyword-based mappings.
You may include your own work if you consider it truly foundational; however, please prioritize contributions based on their relevance to the field rather than authorship. Self-nominations will be evaluated with particular care during analysis

Paper #1

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

Paper #2

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

Paper #3

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

Paper #4

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

Paper #5

DOI:

Main areas (up to 3)

Main areas (up to 3)

Type of contribution

Type of contribution
A
B
C
D
E

THANK YOU for contributing to this collective mapping effort.

Contributors may receive early access to the results.