Metaverse Chronicles: A Bibliometric Analysis of Its Evolving Landscape

AbstractAbstractThe Metaverse, a hypothetical virtual space where people interact with digital environments, has gained attention as a transformative concept in various industries like education, healthcare, and business. However, a comprehensive understanding of the Metaverse’s research landscape and future prospects is essential to guide further exploration and decision-making in this dynamic field. On the basis of the preliminary analysis and the existing literature, the comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the Metaverse is anticipated to reveal a number of themes that span the vast spectrum of its applications. The objective of the analysis is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and future prospects of the Metaverse by analyzing past and present research trends and predicting future research directions. The research collected 928 journal articles from the Web of Science database using bibliometric methods. Through co-citation and co-word analysis, the study identifies the most influential publications, outlines the knowledge structure, and forecasts future developments. The study identified four distinct clusters for co-citations analysis and five distinct clusters for co-word analysis. Despite the growing importance of the Metaverse in various aspects of human life, more scholarly efforts are required to provide a comprehensive overview of its research landscape. This article provides illuminating insight into the expanding field of Metaverse research and its applications to human life. The study concludes with a comprehensive explanation of Metaverse research and perspectives on the field’s future development. This is the first study to present a knowledge structure of the Metaverse via a science mapping methodology.Keywords: Metaversevirtual spacebibliometric analysisco-citationco-wordWeb of Science Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data and availability statementhttps://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7880002Additional informationNotes on contributorsWalton WiderWalton Wider is a Professor of Psychology at Faculty of Business and Communications, INTI International University. His research interests range from Psychology and Education to Management. Given his multidisciplinary background, his research has been instrumental in promoting interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships.Leilei JiangLeilei Jiang is a Master's student in the Faculty of Education and Liberal Arts at INTI International University & Colleges. His research primarily focuses on the application and design of educational technology and the study of metaverse applications.Jiaming LinJiaming Lin holds a PhD in Management from INTI International University. His current area of research involves examining historical patterns and forecasting future trends of effective HR practices, with the objective of providing organizations with valuable insights to enhance their management and engagement of employees.Muhammad Ashraf FauziMuhammad Ashraf Fauzi is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Industrial Management, University Malaysia Pahang. He completed his PhD in the faculty of Management, Multimedia University. His research interests include knowledge management, tourism & hospitality, quality management, project management and sustainable energy.Jingjing LiJingjing Li is a doctoral student in the Digital Nature Research Group at the University of Tsukuba. Her research focuses on human-computer interaction, particularly in digital exhibitions. She is currently exploring how new ways of interaction using digital exhibitions can increase visitor experience and engagement.Choon Kit ChanChoon Kit Chan is currently a Senior Lecturer at INTI International University Malaysia. He serves as a Chartered Engineer of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a Graduate Engineer of the Board of Engineers Malaysia. His research interests include data mining, applied mechanics, artificial intelligence, and computer vision.