Link Analysis Basics: Connecting People, Places, Events
Link analysis is the practice of mapping how things relate and reading the shape of the result. Analysts use it in fraud reviews, journalism, research and intelligence work, and the core ideas fit on one page.
Nodes and links
Every item on your board is a node: a person, an account, an address, a document, an event. Every string is a link that says the two are related. The map is only as good as its links, so record what you know and mark what you only suspect.
Look for hubs
A hub is a node with many direct connections. Hubs matter because many paths run through them: a shared address, a go-between, a document everyone relied on. Selecting an item and watching its direct links glow is the fastest way to measure how central it is.
Look for bridges
A bridge is an item that links two otherwise separate groups. Remove it in your head and see whether the groups split apart. Bridges often explain how information, money or influence moved from one cluster to another.
Look for gaps
Two items that should be linked but are not deserve a second look, and so does a single item hanging alone. Gaps show where evidence is missing and what to look for next.
Keep a clean record
Add the source to every item and keep suspicion apart from fact, for example by using a different note colour. When you share the board, a reader can then tell what is established and what is still a lead.