Category: About JVWR

📢 Important Note on:

Refocusing

As we enter 2022, when the “Metaverse” is blossoming in the POST COVID-19, the JVWR is going into a refocusing process that started in our open forum consultation last year. In the meantime, we are not open for new submissions — we will update the website as soon as we begin accepting papers again.

Please note – we are readjusting the backend.

Overview

Focus and Scope

The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is an online, open access academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from anywhere in the world. The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is a transdisciplinary journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship and welcomes contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect virtual worlds research. The field of virtual worlds research is a continually evolving area of study that spans across many disciplines and the JVWR editorial team looks forward to engaging a wide range of creative and scholarly work.

What are virtual worlds and what is virtual worlds research, within the context of this journal? These are evolving questions that we hope the formation of a community of scholarship will explore and expand. However, to provide a base to build upon, we consider virtual worlds to be computer-based simulated environment where users interact with other users through graphic or textual representations of themselves utilizing textual chat, voice, video or other forms of communication. The term virtual worlds includes, is similar to, or is synonymous (with extensive qualifications) to the terms of virtual reality, virtual space, datascape, metaverse, virtual environment, massively multiplayer online games (MMOs or MMOGs), massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs), multi-user dungeon, domain or dimension (MUDs), MUD object oriented (MOOs), multi-user shared hack, habitat, holodeck, or hallucination (MUSHs), massively-multiuser online graphical environments, collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) or multi-user virtual environments (MUVES), and immersive virtual environments (IVEs).

We see the current predominance of the virtual worlds of Second Life and its competitors as the most recent iteration of a long lineage of developments in virtual reality and gaming both in terms of technologies and conceptualization. Finally, we do not pretend to be a gaming journal, and hope that through this forum we are contributing to the development of specific space within the scholarly and creative communities for discourse on the wide variety of topic areas that are involved in virtual worlds research, including history of virtual worlds, cultural and social theory, quantitative research, qualitative research, virtual ethnographies, pedagogy, education and virtual worlds, development, experimentation, ideas and the intersection of virtual worlds and society.

Peer Review Process

Manuscripts submitted to the JVWR will generally be reviewed by two experts in the field. We aim to provide a fast and thorough review, and the reviewers′ assistance in this process is much appreciated.

Reviewers are reminded that the content of the manuscript they are reviewing is confidential and thus it should not be discussed with anyone. If a reviewer is joined by a colleague during the assessment of the manuscript, they should inform the editors.

An important goal of JVWR is to speed the review process. We aim to turn around papers as quickly as is consistent with a thorough evaluation of their contribution. We aim to adhere to the following standards for turnaround time.

* For papers of 25 pages or less: 20 weeks or less.

Publication Frequency

The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research will publish 3-4 issues per year with special editions being published as agreed upon by the editorial team.

Open Access Policy

Open Access enables authors to obtain the maximum possible exposure for their work. Freely available papers are read more, cited more, and have more impact than ones available only to paid subscribers. As an experiment, enter a research topic into a search engine like Google and see how many links you obtain to papers published in traditional journals. You will find that most references are to working papers, not to published papers, because working papers are freely available.

The advent of the web has made free dissemination of research feasible and financially viable. Because existing specialty journals obtain revenues from selling subscriptions, primarily to libraries, access to the research they publish is limited. The attractive revenue stream that such subscriptions provide makes it unlikely that these journals will convert to Open Access. Thus a need exists for new refereed Open Access journals to replace existing journals. We believe that the establishment of a major Open Access journal in communication study will lead others to establish Open Access journals for many sub-fields and specialities in communcation, reclaiming full control for the profession of its research output. We hope that this will lead the profession to a new norm in which all research is freely available.

Archiving

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. More…

Disseminating

We are making efforts to disseminate the journal content as widely as possible.

The journal is currently being listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals, maintained by Lund University Libraries. This listing may mean that the journal is listed also in the catalog of your institution′s library. If the journal is not listed in the catalog of your institution′s library, we encourage you to request that it be listed.

The journal is currently being listed also in NewJour, a resource used by librarians, and on Registry of Embedded Multimedia Electronic Journals.

Permission

Material published in the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is covered by copyright and may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, republished, or transmitted in any form or by any means (including photocopying, publication on a Web site, or posting to the Internet) without the prior written permission of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research. Users may download material from the online versions of the journals (one machine-readable copy and one printed copy) for their own personal non-commercial use only. Uses beyond those allowed by the “fair use” limitations of the US Copyright Law require the permission of the JVWR. In particular, written permission must be obtained before any material from the print and online versions of these journals is reproduced in print or electronically, and before multiple copies of any articles published in these journals are made.

The JVWR does not grant permission for use of any content in advertisements or advertising supplements or in any manner that would imply an endorsement of any product or service. In addition, permission is never granted to post the full text of any article on a Web site other than the JVWR Web site or to republish the full text of any article in another journal.

Permission is required before any content (e.g., figures, tables, and photographs) can be republished in a new work (eg, textbook, journal article, or monograph). Requests may be submitted by mail, fax, or e-mail. The following information must be included:

Information on individual requesting permission:

  • Your name, institution, and title
  • Your complete mailing address & telephone number.

Information about the material you wish to republish:

  • The publication in which the material originally appeared (Journal of the Virtual Worlds Research, issue, year).
  • The article title and authors′ names.
  • The page number on which the material appears.
  • The specific figure number or table number or specific other content you wish to republish (e.g., abstract). If possible, please enclose a photocopy of the material.

Information about the intended use:

  • Title of the journal or book in which the material will appear.
  • Author′s or editor′s name.
  • Publisher (for material that will appear in a book).
  • Year of publication.
  • Language (please specify; blanket permission for use in all languages will not be granted).
  • Form of reproduction—print, CD-ROM, Internet, electronic book (please specify; blanket permission for reproduction in all formats will not be granted).

Please direct requests to:

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research c/o
Prof. Yesha Sivan
Editor in Chief

Email: info AT jvwresearch.org

Most requests will be handled within 2 to 4 weeks once we have all needed information; if you are working with a specific deadline, please so indicate in your request and we will attempt to meet your needs. Requests sent by fax or mail must be on your letterhead. It is not necessary to contact the authors directly, as copyright is held by the JVWR. If you wish to modify or change any material, you must include a copy of your proposed changes before we can process your request. The JVWR does not allow republication of entire articles in print (except for republication by the author in a thesis or dissertation) or posting of entire articles to a Web site.

JVWR Team


Founding Editor

  • Jeremiah Spence, University of Texas at Austin, USA

Editor in Chief

  • Yesha Sivan, i8 Ventures and a visiting professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School

Coordinating Editor

  • Tzafnat Shpak

Issue Editors & Co-Editors

  • Celeste Lovette Guichard, Savannah College of Art and Design
    6:2 – Arts (Prime)
  • Gary Hardee, University of Texas at Dallas, TX, USA
    6:2 – Arts
  • Laura Salciuviene, Lancaster University Management School, UK
    6:2 – Arts

Recognized Reviewers

  • Lynna J. Ausburn
  • Mark Bell
  • Maged N. Kamel Boulos
  • Gloria Gómez Diago
  • Celeste Lovette Guichard
  • David Kurt Herold
  • Christopher Todd Jennings
  • Kenneth Y T Lim
  • Natalia Rybas
  • Jeremiah Spence

JVWR Friends

  • Nancy Baym, University of Kansas, USA
  • Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
  • Edward Castronova, Indiana University, USA
  • James Gee, Arizona State University, USA
  • Ang Peng Hwa, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  • Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
  • Wolfgang Kleinwachter, University of Aarhus, Denmark
  • Nadie Machado-Spence, University of Texas at Austin, USA
  • Ralph Schroeder, Oxford Internet Institute, UK
  • Serge Soudoplatoff, ESCP-EAP / Hetic, France
  • Joseph Straubhaar, University of Texas at Austin, USA
  • Francis X. Taney, Jr., Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, PC, USA
  • Kathleen Tyner, University of Texas at Austin, USA
  • Natalie Wood, Saint Joseph′s University, USA
  • (Jim) Chee Siang Ang, University of Kent, UK
  • Mark Bell, Indiana University, USA
  • Maged N. Kamel Boulos, University of Plymouth, UK
  • Stephen C. Bronack, Clemson University, USA
  • Connie Cassarino, Center for Advanced Learning, IBM, USA
  • Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • Aaron Delwiche, Trinity University, USA
  • Suely Fragoso, Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos / Unisinos, Brazil
  • D. Linda Garcia, Georgetown University, USA
  • Eric Hackathorn, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, USA
  • David Haden, BIAD / University of Oxford, UK
  • Maria Koletsi, Panteion University, Greece
  • Sun Sun Lim, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • Gilson Schwartz, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Mandy Salomon, Smart Services CRC, Australia
  • Stephanie Smith, NASA JSC Learning Technologies, USA
  • Kurt Squire, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Caja Thimm, University of Bonn, Germany
  • Robert Vinet, Community Chest, France

JVWR Veterans

  • Max Burns, USA
  • Andrea Muñoz, Brazil
  • Roque Planas, USA
  • Betsy Campbell, USA

For Subscribers

We encourage readers to sign up for the publishing notification service for this journal. Use the subscribe link at the top left . This registration will result in the reader receiving the Table of Contents by email for each new issue of the journal. This list also allows the journal to claim a certain level of support or readership.

See the journal’s Privacy Statement which assures readers that their name and email address will not be used for other purposes.

For Issue Editors

How-To

Issue editors take full charge of one issue. They craft the call (CFP = Call For Papers), publish it, solicit the papers, manage the review process, supervise the final publications, and distribute the news about the paper.

Each issue is managed by a Managing Issue Editor with 2-3 other issue co-editors. The Managing Issue Editor is the prime contact person and the leader behind the issue.

1. Suggesting an Issue

  • To become an Issue Editor you need to:
  • Be fully aware of how JVWR works (best if you have been an issue co-editor or an author in the past).
  • Be very comfortable with our publication system — as we use it extensively. As well as with Google docs, Skype, and other current tools.
  • Be a deadline-targeted & taking-charge person.
  • Be passionate about the general field of virtual worlds and able to identify and write about your particular field — which will become the focus of the issue.
  • Know that each issue may include non-topical papers. In coordination with the Journal Editor-in Chief, you may take charge of them too (namely the Journal Editor in Chief may add papers, or may ask you to take charge of such).
  • Note that we are looking for good papers. “Less is more”: 4-6 paper per issue.
  • Know that you may link your issue with relevant events (like a conference, meeting, grant, research project etc.)
  • Start with a simple proposal. You will get an answer very quickly whether your issue proposal makes sense, if there are any other related proposals and a planned publication timetable. We try to think far. So you can suggest an issue for 2 years down the road. This allows authors to generate papers per your call.

2. Developing the Issue Proposal

  • Once you get a positive response – you’ll need to develop a detailed call, including Co-editors (2-3); related events; a specific topic; examples; how do you intend to publish the call, etc. Deadlines are important as JVWR try to be very timely.
  • Your call is examined by the Journal Editor in Chief and the Coordinating Editor. You need to make sure you and your co-editors are users in our publishing system.
  • Your call is published officially on the web site and emailed to our mailing lists.
  • Note: Speed of response is critical to us.

3. Soliciting Papers

  • This is the most critical part of your job because it generates the input for the issue. Specific people need to know about your call and you need to approach them directly as well as all the usual lists. JVWR publish the call once. We also publish a collection of calls from time to time. Most of the work here is yours. We assume that you know the community.
  • We usually ask prospective authors to send abstracts (one page). This will give you a hint of what is out there, and allow you to gauge and fine tune. You may want to push a second call (you need to plan that in the CFP). 
  • Once you get abstracts you can ask people to submit full papers.
  • You manage the flow of proposals via a special follow-up & shared document (with co-editors and JVWR team.)

4. Reviewing Proposed Papers

  • This is the process where you need both to improve the papers and decide which papers are to be published.
  • You get a review template from JVWR which you can modify to your needs.
  • With your co-editors, you solicit your reviewers from the list we have on the system. (We keep that list up to date. As of 2012, we have about 50 reviewers, all with full profiles.)
  • We are using double-open policy — see on our website about JVWR/ For Authors/ Our Review Policy – Double Open.

5. Accepting Papers

  • Once a paper is being accepted you (and your co-editors) work with authors to make the best of it. Clarify of language, arguments, simplicity – all that make a good paper.
  • By the deadline you move all the papers to the publishing coordinator.
  • Coordinating editors work with authors to layout the paper for publication.
  • At this point it is your privilege to choose the issue image: Make sure you have rights to the image; connect to issue theme; suggest to the Editor in Chief for final approval.
  • You specifically look at the abstracts of the papers, as readers will often only read them. Abstracts need to relate to the issue’s theme.

6. Publishing Papers

  • After all the papers are in PDF form, you will be asked to write a short introduction about the issue.
  • You should also write a longer Issue Editor’s paper.
  • The timing of publishing is coordinated with you — to let you have the time to spread the news.
  • Once published — we push the issue in all our venues.
  • And you do the same.
  • You send a thank you letter to all authors and co-editors.
  • We add you to the list of past editors.
  • Hooray!

FAQ

Q. Can I publish my own paper in my issue?

A. Yes. We encourage that. Make sure your co-editors review it.

Q. Can I change the topic of my issue?

A. Minor changes are OK, major changes are not (we may simply cancel the issue).

Q. Do I need to sign an agreement in order to become a Managing Issue Editor?

A. The CFP is the agreement between you, your co-editors, JVWR team, our authors and editors.

Q. How exactly do I know which papers are submitted to my special issue?

A. Basically you don’t  🙂  The Section Editor receives all submissions and then assigns them to the relevant issue editor.  Therefore all the papers that are under your name – are aimed for your special issue. See filtering tips below.

Papers are assigned to a certain Issue Editor either by the author’s specific request (that can appear, if appears, under the ‘Summary’ section of the submission) or by the paper’s relevance, content, subject etc., according to the best judgment of the Editor-in-Chief.

Important note: The Journal’s Editor-in-Chief however, keeps the right to change papers’ designation according to the Journal’s best interests, agenda and timetable (i.e. if a special issue is too far away, a paper can be offered to be published in a nearer issue as “Rush to Press” paper.)

Filtering (search): 

  1. Change the default search criteria (Title) to Editor.
  2. Enter your name or part of it.
  3. Hit Search
  4. You’ll see all the papers that are assigned to you and their whereabouts (status).  

Q.  How do I assign papers to my co-editors?

A.  By default the Issue Editor receives all the submissions. Upon his/her decision, a certain submission can be assigned to co-editors by adding them as editors of a specific submission.

  1. Click on the submission title (link) – it will take you to the submission Summary page.
  2. Under the section Editors – click “Add Editor.”

A list of JVWR editors will be opened. Find the name you want and assign him/her by clicking on the ASSIGN button near his/her name (right column). The name will be added to the Summary page of the submission.

Click “Record.”

For Authors

Authors’ Guidelines


Interested in submitting to this journal?

First make sure you subscribe to the journal (top left).

Then, authors need to have a login user in our publication system (different than being a subscriber). Log in using your user, or obtain a user (register at the right) and follow the 5 step process.

Manuscript Preparation

The JVWR uses the style guides of the American Psychological Association (APA) for the formatting of articles and citations. Detailed stylesheets can be found at https://www.ucalgary.ca/ssc/files/ssc/wss_apa_2014.pdf; sample sheets here: https://library.ucalgary.ca/ld.php?content_id=16539777, as well as get help from APA website here: http://www.apastyle.org/apa-style-help.aspx. Please submit your manuscript in word document (.doc; .docx), open document (.odf), or .rtf formats. None editable documents (.pdf) are not accessible for reviewers.

Submission Preparation Checklist

Before uploading your manuscript, please make sure that:

  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or provide an explanation in the section “Comments to the Editor”).
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.
  • Where applicable, for online reference sources, DOI or URLs have been provided.
  • The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points rather than at the end.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
  • If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the instructions in ‘Ensuring a Blind’ Review have been followed.

Our Review Policy – Double Open

 Since the JVWR fifth year, we have eperimented with the “Double-Open” review policy. This policy means that:

  • Authors do not need to anonymize their papers.
  • Reviewers’ identity is known to authors.
  • Issue editors have the full control of the process (and can choose to revert to double-blind or to mask reviewers’ comments.)

There are several reasons for this experiment. The team has researched and tabulated the pros and cons of both blind and open peer review process. The Editor-in Chief has decided that the benefits of the pros of open review – namely speed – justify the experiment. If all works well, this “Double Open” will turn into our established policy.

For a lengthy discussion about open peer review see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_peer_review. Also, see the many journals that use this policy. (We thank Roger Clarke for his input on this.)

For the JVWR, our prime reason is speed. We are looking to speed the process from idea to publication. Anything in the middle that causes extra work should be eliminated. (We are less concerned about the cons of politics of the blind review process.)

Note: Each issue editor has the right to choose if her/his issue will use blind or open review. It is a choice. The editors can also choose to mask reviewer comments from authors if they feel this is needed. If they choose that their issue uses Double-Open policy they must state to authors who are the reviewers even if they mask their comments. We think such masking cases will be rare.

This policy is subject to change. It is new, and we will follow this. This policy will be current and the historical section will document the changes.

Copyright Notice

The JVWR is an academic journal. As such, it is dedicated to the open exchange of information. For this reason, the JVWR is freely available to individuals and institutions. Copies of this journal or articles in this journal may be distributed for research or educational purposes free of charge and without permission. However, commercial use of the JVWR website or the articles contained herein is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the editor.

Authors who publish in the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research will release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution No Derivative Works 3.0 United States (cc-by-nd) license.

This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration.

The publisher perpetually authorizes participants in the LOCKSS system to archive and restore our publication through the LOCKSS System for the benefit of all LOCKSS System participants. Specifically participating libraries may:

  • Collect and preserve currently accessible materials;
  • Use material consistent with original license terms;
  • Provide copies to other LOCKSS appliances for purposes of audit and repair.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance rate depends on the specific issue and it is ranged between 10% for issues that connect with large events and 25% to more focused issues.

We consider abstracts a submission, as abstracts go through a full review by the editors of each issue. We strive to give rapid answers to both abstracts and full submissions. We encourage authors to connect with editors to get feedback as soon as possible. Editors are encouraged to initially focus on content and ignore language issues which will be addressed at a later stage. We strive to be global in nature.

However, we mandate crystal clear writing for final versions. We assume that authors, who know their papers have progressed, will find the way to arrive at a high standard of writing.

Types of Submissions

Peer Reviewed Research Papers

  • 20-25 manuscript pages
  • 5000-7500 words total
  • APA Style
  • Complete bibliography
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • Peer review requires the cover page with the name and affiliation of the author(s) and the paper title to be submitted as separate documents.
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced

Research Papers

  • 20-25 manuscript pages
  • 5000-7500 words total
  • APA Style
  • Complete bibliography
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced
  • Research papers can be submitted for outside peer-review or for review by the editorial team.

Research-in-brief Papers

  • Research reports or introduction/examinations of research in progress
  • 8-15 manuscript pages
  • 2000-4500 words total
  • APA Style
  • Complete bibliography (optional)
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • Research-in-brief submissions are reviewed by the editors and are not peer-reviewed.
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced

Essays

  • 8-20 manuscript pages
  • 2000-6000 words total
  • APA Style (unless it is inappropriate for the type of essay being submitted.)
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3).
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced

Monographs

  • 1000-1300 words total
  • Short topical pieces
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • APA Style
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • Single-spaced

“Think Pieces”

  • 1000-1300 words total
  • The “think” pieces are intended to spur discussion amongst scholars on message boards provided for each piece.
  • The pieces should aim to ask provocative questions for future research and debate, rather than provide definitive answers.
  • We encourage the use of visual aids such as images, video clips, or links to content in virtual worlds.
  • Abstract (150-250 words) and keywords (a minimum of 3)
  • APA Style (unless it is inappropriate for the type of essay being submitted)
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats.
  • single-spaced

Interactive Online Exhibits and Demonstrations

  • Format and content should be proposed to the editor(s).
  • 100-300 word description/abstract.
  • Links to examples, if they are available.
  • The website currently only accepts .doc and .rtf formats for the description.

Other

The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research is explicitly transdisciplinary in nature. We welcome proposals and suggestions for alternate and innovative forms of submissions, and strongly encourage the sharing of ideas and discourse across the many different academic and creative communities that intersect virtual worlds research.

For Reviewers

Already a reviewer?

Issue editors will contact you directly. The reviewing process is done directly within the publishing system. You can also suggest yourself to editors based on the various calls (see publications’ timetable on the menu at the right of our home page.) Email us to [email protected] and we will connect you to the relevant editor.

You are always welcome to update your profile by logging into the publishing system via https://jvwr.net on the top of the right (login). Make sure the section “Reviewing interests” is complete and reflects subjects of your expertise and interest as editors often choose the reviewers based on this information.

When you are invited to review a submission, please respond YES or NO as soon as possible to editor’s email whether you accept or decline the request (by simpley reply to the request email). If you cannot perform the review due to time conflicts or other preoccupations please respond as well. Failure to respond, either accept or decline the reviewing request may cause removal from our reviewers’ list.

The benefits of being a JVWR reviewer:

  • A step for becoming a future author
  • A critical step for becoming an issue editor
  • Enjoy our Double-Open review policy – it’s a good opportunity to meet colleagues and fellow authors. See details.
  • Help the Editorial Team select high quality academic papers for publication thus ensuring continuation of JVWR excellent reputation in the field.
  • Reviewer’s rating enables editors select the best, quick, accurate and knowledgeable reviewers. No one else sees this rating.
  • Get on our “Recognized Reviewers” list. See the list.
  • Receive the JVWR special appreciation certificate.  

Interested in Becoming a Reviewer?

Due to the increasing volume of submissions to the journal, the JVWR is looking for reviewers to help the editorial team select the best academic papers for publication. We are seeking scholars interested in serving together with our volunteer editorial team.

As a reviewer, you will be asked by the issue editors to review papers and provide constructive feedback about the merits of submissions in terms of quality and contribution to the field. The JVWR expects to receive reviews in a timely, collegial manner, with a high level of expertise, objectivity and insightful evaluation of the manuscripts. Note our Double-Open policy.

To learn more about the journal see About JVWR > Overview.

How to

To be considered as a reviewer you will need to become a JVWR reader:

  • First, please make sure you subscribe to the journal if you are not already a subscriber. See top left of the JVWR homepage.
  • Then register to open a reader account in our publishing system (TDL). Make sure you check the “Reader” checkbox. It is recommended that if you intend to submit a paper even if at a later stage, to also check the “Author” checkbox.
  • Login to our publishing system (top right menu of JVWR homepage).  The “HowTo” document is available here.
  • Complete your profile with as many details as you can, mention specifically the “Reviewing Interests” section to entice editors pick you up as a reviewer.
  • Email the Coordinating Editor (tzafnat.shpak AT jvwresearch DOT org) a cover letter including your professional resume, academic editing experience, as well as your interest in the Virtual Worlds domain.
  • Upon the Journal’s Editor in Chief’s decision, you will be notified of receiving reviewer’s rights. Editors will be able now to contact you directly, based on your interests and experience.
  • Should you have further questions, please do not hesitate to send an email to: [email protected]

For Librarians


We encourage research librarians to list this journal among their library’s electronic journal holdings. As well, it may be worth noting that this journal’s open source publishing system is suitable for libraries to host for their faculty members to use with journals they are involved in editing (see Open Journal Systems).

Our Use of DOI


A digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet.

Our publishing system assigns a DOI automatically when an article is published and made available electronically. We recommend to include them for both print and electronic sources.

For example DOI https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v8i2.7186
will lead to JVWR web site volume 8 issue 2 paper 7186.

Where is the DOI?

The DOI is located on the first page of the article, under the link to the full article.

The DOI can also be found on the database landing page for the article. See “How to cite item” on the left menu of the article.

How do I use it

In your papers, add the URL of the DOI near the top of your paper.
If you use a paper from JVWR kindly also use the DOI number.

Both will allow users to find the article faster.

For more info see: