The Novel Network Lab — Semiotic

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Canonical: https://semiotic.nteract.io/examples/novel-network-lab

The Novel Network Lab

One dataset / eight network views

Choose a network view by the question you need to answer.

Follow a synthetic batch of novels through acquisition, editing, review, and publication. Every view uses the same manuscript ledger. Revisions, shortcuts, and parallel handoffs make different properties visible in different charts.

Manuscripts: 48
Stages: 14
Edge records: 21
Handoffs: 434
Delivered: 45

Start with a question

Finding in this dataset

63 Copy visits come from 45 manuscripts. Repeat work increases handoff volume without adding new manuscripts.

Compare the views

Change either view. Hover marks for counts; click a stage to pin it. Expand a panel for more space. Wide diagrams scroll horizontally.

AcquisitionEditingReviewPublicationDepartment colors apply to Force, Sankey, and Chord. Other encodings are described below each view.

View A

Which stages are connected?

Clusters and connections around a selected stage are easy to inspect.

Clusters and connections around a selected stage are easy to inspect. Distance is a layout result, not elapsed time or dependency. Parallel records can overlap.

EncodingNode radius: manuscript visits. Line width: square-root scaled handoffs. Color: department.

Interpretation limitDistance is a layout result, not elapsed time or dependency. Parallel records can overlap.

ForceDirectedGraph documentation ↗

View B

Where is the handoff volume?

Wide ribbons make repeated editing work and the dominant print route prominent.

Wide ribbons make repeated editing work and the dominant print route prominent. Handoffs are not unique manuscripts. Cycles revisit stages; ribbons alone cannot identify complete journeys.

EncodingRibbon width: handoffs, including repeat visits. Cycles remain in the graph.

Interpretation limitHandoffs are not unique manuscripts. Cycles revisit stages; ribbons alone cannot identify complete journeys.

SankeyDiagram documentation ↗

Inspect a stage

Pinned stage

Copy

Review · 63 visits from 45 manuscripts.

63 incoming and 63 outgoing handoffs. A revision creates another visit, not another manuscript.

This pin follows the original stage ID across views. In the Atlas, outlined groups contain the stage; clicking a group opens its membership and Cutaway.

Original handoffs touching Copy

From → to	Channel	Handoffs	Manuscripts
→	standard	45	45
→	automated	30	23
→	manual	29	22
→	standard	14	14
→	standard	4	4

45 manuscript paths through Copy

MS-001Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-002Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-003Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-004Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-005Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-006Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-007Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-008Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-009Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-010Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-011Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-012Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-013Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-014Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-015Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-016Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-017Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-018Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-019Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-020Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-021Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-022Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-023Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-024Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-025Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-026Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-027Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-028Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-029Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-030Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-031Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-032Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-033Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-034Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-035Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-036Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-037Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-038Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
MS-039Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Copy → Proof → Legal → Release → Audio → Delivered
MS-040Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Copy → Proof → Legal → Release → Audio → Delivered
MS-041Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Copy → Proof → Legal → Release → Audio → Delivered
MS-042Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Copy → Proof → Legal → Release → Audio → Delivered
MS-043Intake → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-044Intake → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
MS-045Intake → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered

Match the chart to the task

Force directed

Which stages are connected?

Distance is a layout result, not elapsed time or dependency. Parallel records can overlap.

Sankey

Where is the handoff volume?

Handoffs are not unique manuscripts. Cycles revisit stages; ribbons alone cannot identify complete journeys.

Chord

Which pairs exchange the most work?

Parallel channels between a pair are aggregated. Ring order is neither chronology nor a journey.

Motif Braid

Which journeys actually occurred?

A state can appear at several steps. Strands group node sequences and do not separate parallel channels.

Dependency Forest

Which stages are unavoidable?

A dominator relationship is not necessarily a direct handoff. This is a structural claim from Intake.

Flow Circuit

What operational evidence is available?

The ledger has no service times, capacity, or queue measurements. The chart cannot establish a bottleneck.

Resolution Atlas

What changes when stages are grouped?

A connection between groups does not prove a path through the group's original endpoints. Inspect the Cutaway.

Boundary Loom

Which original edges remain between groups?

Rows and columns make edge identity precise, but a long path requires following several columns.

Tree, Treemap, Circle Pack, and Orbit views require a hierarchy. This ledger is a directed graph with cycles and multiple parents; choosing a spanning tree would discard relationships. The Dependency Forest makes that distinction explicit while retaining residual edges. See the Tree Diagram documentationfor genuinely hierarchical data.

Inspect the shared dataset

This is authored synthetic data, not a publishing benchmark. Six route templates generate 48 individual manuscript paths. The 434 handoffs are counted directly from consecutive visits. Copy → Proof has two separately identified channels. All charts use those nodes, edges, and paths; no chart substitutes an unrelated fixture.

For the Flow Circuit, counts are aggregated over one declared 24-hour interval and converted to per-second rates. Modules count completed stage visits, including intake and terminal stages; pipes count handoffs. Individual event times, queue stock, and capacity are unavailable. Motion is disabled because the data cannot support a replay.

Route	Manuscripts	Complete path
Direct print	24	Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
Author and proof revision	8	Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
Proof revision	6	Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Copy → Proof → Copy → Proof → Release → Print → Delivered
Legal and audio	4	Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Author → Editor → Author → Editor → Copy → Copy → Proof → Legal → Release → Audio → Delivered
Expedited ebook	3	Intake → Editor → Copy → Proof → Release → Ebook → Delivered
Archived	3	Intake → Register → Screen → Editor → Archive

All 21 original edge records

Original edge ID	Handoffs	Manuscripts
Intake→Register:standard	45	45
Register→Screen:standard	45	45
Screen→Editor:standard	45	45
Editor→Copy:standard	45	45
Copy→Proof:automated	30	23
Proof→Release:standard	41	41
Release→Print:standard	30	30
Print→Delivered:standard	30	30
Copy→Proof:manual	29	22
Editor→Author:standard	16	12
Author→Editor:standard	16	12
Proof→Copy:standard	14	14
Release→Ebook:standard	11	11
Ebook→Delivered:standard	11	11
Copy→Copy:standard	4	4
Proof→Legal:standard	4	4
Legal→Release:standard	4	4
Release→Audio:standard	4	4
Audio→Delivered:standard	4	4
Intake→Editor:standard	3	3
Editor→Archive:standard	3	3

Revision novel-network-lab-v1. View choices and the pinned stage are saved in this page’s URL. Full Code includes the ledger generator, chart setup, and styles.