Different metrics can be used to assess the centrality of researchers in the UF scientific community. Degree centrality is the number of collaborators a researcher has, that is, his degree of connectedness to the network. Betweenness centrality is a measure of brokerage, as it quantifies the extent to which a researcher falls on the network paths between other researchers, and is a bridge between separate areas of the network. Closeness centrality measures the extent to which a scientist is close to every other actor, and can easily reach to the rest of the network. Researchers in the CTSI show higher centrality values on average on all these measures in 2008-2012, in both the publication and grant networks, compared to researchers outside the CTSI. In other words, the CTSI gathers some of the most central UF scientists, who tend to be better connected to the university scientific network, more often located in brokering positions between different research groups, and able to more easily reach to other UF scientists to whom they are not directly connected.
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