Kick-start your scientific journey into the metaverse

The term “metaverse” first appeared in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash. It was defined as a virtual environment shared through the Internet in which avatars represent people in three dimensions, and users can build what they wish. Since the publication of Stephenson’s novel, technological advances have enabled the creation of several metaverses for widespread usages, such as virtual world platforms like World of Warcraft and Second Life. This paper aims to review studies on the metaverse using bibliometric analysis. The findings include a summary of the most important scientific articles and journals in the subject area and the most prolific and prominent authors, organisations, and nations. Furthermore, keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed the core research clusters and their sub-themes, allowing for more pertinent debates and viewpoints on crucial areas for future research. Finally, the implications for theory and practice have been addressed, offering a comprehensive overview of expected metaverse impacts on industry and society.