• Home
  • Search
  • IMVoteRank: Identifying multiple influential nodes in complex networks based on an improved voting model
  • https://doi.org/10.7498/aps.74.20250621Copy DOI Icon

IMVoteRank: Identifying multiple influential nodes in complex networks based on an improved voting model

Show More
  • Abstract
  • Literature Map
  • References
  • Similar Papers
Abstract

Efficiently identifying multiple influential nodes is crucial for maximizing information diffusion and minimizing rumor spread in complex networks. Selecting multiple influential seed nodes requires consideration of both their individual influence potential and their spatial dispersion within the network topology to avoid overlapping propagation ranges ("rich-club effect"). Traditional VoteRank method suffer from two key limitations: (1) they assume uniform voting contributions from a node to all its neighbors, neglecting the impact of topological similarity (structural homophily) on voting preferences observed in real-world scenarios, and (2) they employ a homogeneous voting attenuation strategy which inadequately suppresses the propagation range overlap among selected seed nodes. To address these shortcomings, this paper proposes IMVoteRank, an improved VoteRank algorithm featuring dual innovations. First, we introduce a Structural Similarity-Driven Voting Contribution Mechanism. Recognizing that voters (nodes) are more likely to support candidates (neighbors) with whom they share stronger topological ties, we decompose a neighbor's voting contribution into two components: a Direct Connection Contribution and a Structural Similarity Contribution (quantified using common neighbors). A dynamic weight parameter θ, adjusted based on the candidate node's degree, balances these components, significantly refining vote allocation accuracy. Second, we devise a Dynamic Group Isolation Strategy. During each iteration, after selecting the highest-scoring seed node <i>v<sub>max</sub></i>, we identify and isolate a tightly-knit group (OG) centered around it. This involves: (i) forming an initial group based on shared neighbor density with <i>v<sub>max</sub></i>, (ii) expanding it by incorporating nodes with more connections inside the group than outside, and (iii) isolating this group by setting the voting capacity (Va) of all its members to zero and virtually removing their connections from the adjacency matrix. Neighbors of <i>v<sub>max</sub></i> not in OG have their <i>Va</i> halved. This strategy proactively enforces spatial dispersion among seeds. Extensive simulations using the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) propagation model on nine diverse real-world networks (ECON-WM3, Facebook-SZ, USAir, Celegans, ASOIAF, Dnc-corecipient, ERIS1176, DNC-emails, Facebook-combined) demonstrate the superior performance of IMVoteRank. Compared to seven benchmark methods (Degree, K-shell, VoteRank, NCVoteRank, VoteRank++, AIGCrank, EWV), IMVoteRank consistently achieves significantly larger final propagation coverage (infected scale) for a given number of seed nodes and transmission probability (<i>β</i>=0.1). Furthermore, seeds selected by IMVoteRank exhibit a consistently larger average shortest path length (<i>Ls</i>) among themselves across most networks, confirming their effective topological dispersion. This combination of high individual influence potential (optimized voting) and low redundancy (group isolation) directly translates to more efficient global information spread, as evidenced by the SIR results. Tests on LFR benchmark networks further validate these advantages, particularly at transmission rates above the epidemic threshold. IMVoteRank effectively overcomes the limitations of traditional voting models by integrating structural similarity into the voting process and employing dynamic group isolation to ensure seed dispersion. It provides a highly effective and physically well-grounded approach for identifying multiple influential nodes in complex networks, optimizing the trade-off between influence strength and spatial coverage. Future work will focus on enhancing computational efficiency for large-scale networks and exploring the impact of meso-scale community structures.

Similar Papers
  • Research Article
  • Citations53

A novel potential edge weight method for identifying influential nodes in complex networks based on neighborhood and position

  • Feb 11, 2022
  • Journal of Computational Science
  • Lei Meng +3
  • Research Article

An improved dynamic-sensitive centrality based on interactive influence for identifying influential nodes in aviation networks

  • Nov 21, 2024
  • International Journal of Modern Physics C
  • Linfeng Zhong +7
  • Research Article
  • Citations4

A Survey on Recent Methods of Finding Influential Nodes in Complex Networks

  • Apr 05, 2021
  • International Journal of Advanced Trends in Computer Science and Engineering
  • Koduru Hajarathaiah +96
  • Research Article
  • Citations75

LFIC: Identifying Influential Nodes in Complex Networks by Local Fuzzy Information Centrality

  • Aug 01, 2022
  • IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems
  • Haotian Zhang +3
  • Research Article
  • Citations21

Ranking influential nodes in complex network using edge weight degree based shell decomposition

  • Nov 10, 2023
  • Journal of Computational Science
  • Giridhar Maji +1
  • Research Article
  • Citations117

Identifying influential nodes in complex networks: Effective distance gravity model

  • Feb 01, 2021
  • Information Sciences
  • Qiuyan Shang +2
  • Research Article
  • Citations13

A novel method for identifying influential nodes in complex networks based on multiple attributes

  • Nov 07, 2018
  • International Journal of Modern Physics B
  • Dong Liu +2
  • Research Article
  • Citations16

Identifying influential nodes based on graph signal processing in complex networks**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61231010) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (Grant No. HUST No. 2012QN076).

  • Mar 27, 2015
  • Chinese Physics B
  • Jia Zhao +3
  • Research Article
  • Citations2

Quantifying influential nodes in complex networks using optimization and particle dynamics: a comparative study

  • Jan 19, 2024
  • Computing
  • Edwin Montes-Orozco +5
  • Research Article
  • Citations4

MEGA: identifying influential nodes in heterogeneous networks based on meta-path and attention

  • Feb 03, 2025
  • Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment
  • Jinfang Xie +2
  • Conference Article

A Review on Methods to Identify Influential Nodes in Complex Networks

  • Aug 21, 2025
  • Shivangi Verma +2
  • Research Article
  • Citations35

Influential nodes identification in complex networks based on global and local information

  • May 27, 2020
  • Chinese Physics B
  • Yuan-Zhi Yang +2
  • Supplementary Content

Identification of the influential nodes in complex networks based on thenonlinear dynamics of solitons

  • Sep 15, 2025
  • Research Square
  • Zhaobo Zhang +4
  • Research Article
  • Citations6

Detection of influential nodes with multi-scale information* *Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11801430, 11801200, 61877046, and 61877047).

  • May 08, 2021
  • Chinese Physics B
  • Jing-En Wang +3
  • Research Article
  • Citations8

Identifying influential nodes in complex networks by adjusted feature contributions and neighborhood impact

  • Feb 14, 2025
  • The Journal of Supercomputing
  • Shima Esfandiari +1
Cactus Communications logo

Copyright 2026 Cactus Communications. All rights reserved.