SCL-WTNS: A new link prediction algorithm based on strength of community link and weighted two-level neighborhood similarity

Abstract

Link prediction is a significant and fundamental research issue in the field of network science. Numerous similarity-based algorithms have been widely applied due to low computational cost and high prediction accuracy. The topological features of networks like community structure are beneficial to link prediction. In this paper, we first introduce a Weighted Two-level Neighborhood Similarity (WTNS) index that integrates the resource allocation index and local path index. Then we define the Strength of Community Link (SCL) as a quantitative index to evaluate the close relationship among communities. Based on this, the connection likelihood between two nodes can be calculated and a new link prediction algorithm called SCL-WTNS is presented. The proposed algorithm has been compared with nine popular similarity methods on 12 real-world networks to verify the performance. SCL-WTNS is also compared with two groups of community-based link prediction methods. Experiments indicate that the proposed algorithm is better than comparison algorithms both in prediction accuracy and stability.