title: ergm: A Package to Fit, Simulate and Diagnose Exponential-Family Models for Networks.
abstract: We describe some of the capabilities of the ergm package and the statistical theory underlying it. This package contains tools for accomplishing three important, and interrelated, tasks involving exponential-family random graph models (ERGMs): estimation, simulation, and goodness of fit. More precisely, ergm has the capability of approximating a maximum likelihood estimator for an ERGM given a network data set; simulating new network data sets from a fitted ERGM using Markov chain Monte Carlo; and assessing how well a fitted ERGM does at capturing characteristics of a particular network data set.
authors.affiliation: Until August 2008:  Université d'Orléans Bâtiment de mathématiques, Route de Chartres B.P. 6759 45067 Orléans cedex 2, France.
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Handcock
authors.forename: Carter T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Butts
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Goodreau
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morris