This section will neither attempt to answer all questions about each layout, nor will it dive into the technical aspects of how each algorithm works. For those answers, the Gephi website has resources to be explored at your leisure. Instead, we will provide a synopsis of many of the layout options available with Gephi, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each algorithm and some tips on when and where a specific layout is appropriate.

I recommend you consider your options from a holistic point of view. The end goal is to create a network graph that is not only comprehensible, but also tells a compelling story. If the layout looks impressive while achieving these goals, even better! However, any perusal of the literature and online world will quickly reveal that many graphs look impressive while failing to communicate the underlying stories within the network, and many are so dense that they are effectively unreadable. Do not fall prey to creating something...