The Online Social Networks (OSNs) have attracted the attention of the research community due to their current importance in the people’s lives. One of the ways to investigate them is by using computational simulations, but often the selection of the input parameters of a simulator undergoes a combinatorial explosion problem. Furthermore, currently there is not a common frame to compare OSNs simulations, so each one uses his/her own set of values. Here, we propose the OSNSim Standard applicable to the choice of simulations input parameters, targeting to settle a reference in this field. We conducted a series of empirical testes using an OSN simulator to find initial ranges for the composition of the standard. We grouped and extended those ranges in a progressive sequence of scenarios focusing on a general solution. We ended up with 12 scenarios, each one composed by 72 input combinations, from small to large-scale simulations. The proposed standard is suitable as a general reference, avoids combinatorial explosions in the parameters selection, and provides a comparison frame for correlated researches.

Complex Networks, Simulation, Social Network Analyses, Computational Data Analysis and Simulation in General Sciences.