Call for Chapters:

Architectures, Governance, and Operational Realities in the Symbiotic Metaverse
https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/9930

Editor:
Vincenzo De Masi, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China

Deadline for submission of proposals: May 24, 2026 (Full chapters due: July 26, 2026)

A call for chapters is open for the edited volume Architectures, Governance, and Operational Realities in the Symbiotic Metaverse, to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing.

INTRODUCTION

The idea of the metaverse, first associated with Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash and later developed in contemporary strategic and technological terms by Matthew Ball, has evolved from a speculative virtual world into a broader framework for persistent, synchronous, and interconnected digital-physical environments. As current research and industry practice increasingly move beyond hype-driven narratives, the metaverse is being reconsidered as an operational and socio-technical layer that connects artificial intelligence (AI), XR, digital twins, and human agency across cyber-physical systems. This book examines the architectures, governance models, and operational realities of the Symbiotic Metaverse, understood as an emerging paradigm in which intelligent systems support perception, prediction, coordination, and decision-making, while humans remain responsible for judgment, accountability, and strategic oversight. The volume invites contributions that explore how this transformation is reshaping organizations, infrastructures, and services across multiple domains, with particular attention to trust, interoperability, resilience, sustainability, and human-centered design.

OBJECTIVE

This book aims to examine the Symbiotic Metaverse as an emerging framework resulting from the convergence of AI, XR, digital twins, and cyber-physical systems. It seeks to advance current research by exploring the architectures, governance models, and operational realities that shape the design, implementation, and evaluation of metaverse systems across different domains. The volume will contribute to the literature by connecting theoretical and empirical perspectives, with particular attention to trust, interoperability, resilience, sustainability, and human-centered governance. In this way, the book will further current research by offering a multidisciplinary understanding of how the metaverse is evolving from a speculative concept into a practical and strategic socio-technical infrastructure.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience of this book will be composed of professionals and researchers working in the fields of information systems, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, immersive technologies, organizational studies, education, management, computer science, and information technology. Moreover, the book will provide insights and support executives, policymakers, and institutional leaders concerned with the governance, design, and implementation of cyber-physical and digitally augmented environments across different organizational and social contexts.

RECOMMENDED TOPICS

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to:

• Symbiotic Metaverse theory and conceptual foundations
• Artificial intelligence in metaverse environments
• AI-driven coordination, prediction, and decision support
• Architectures of the metaverse
• Digital twins and cyber-physical integration
• Extended reality (XR) and immersive interaction systems
• Human-AI collaboration in digitally augmented environments
• Governance models for metaverse ecosystems
• Trust, accountability, and transparency in virtual and hybrid systems
• Interoperability and standards in metaverse infrastructures
• Data governance, privacy, and security
• Identity, authentication, and access management
• Ethical and legal issues in metaverse development
• Human-centered design and user experience
• Industry 5.0 and intelligent socio-technical systems
• Organizational transformation and operational readiness
• Metaverse applications in logistics and supply chains
• Metaverse applications in manufacturing and smart industry
• Metaverse applications in healthcare and clinical environments
• Metaverse applications in education and training
• Metaverse applications in tourism and hospitality
• Sustainability and resilient digital infrastructures
• Socio-economic impact and value creation
• Policy, regulation, and institutional frameworks
• Future scenarios and strategic roadmaps for the metaverse

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before May 24, 2026, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by June 7, 2026 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters of a minimum of 10,000 words (word count includes references and related readings) are expected to be submitted by July 26, 2026, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-anonymized review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Architectures, Governance, and Operational Realities in the Symbiotic Metaverse. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-anonymized peer review editorial process.

All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery^® online submission manager.

Submission link:
https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/submit/9930

PUBLISHER

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing, an international academic publisher of the “Information Science Reference”, “Medical Information Science Reference”, “Business Science Reference”, and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. IGI Global Scientific Publishing specializes in publishing reference books, scholarly journals, and electronic databases featuring academic research on a variety of innovative topic areas including, but not limited to, education, social science, medicine and healthcare, business and management, information science and technology, engineering, public administration, library and information science, media and communication studies, and environmental science. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit https://www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2027.

IMPORTANT DATES

May 24, 2026: Proposal Submission Deadline
June 7, 2026: Notification of Acceptance
July 26, 2026: Full Chapter Submission
August 30, 2026: Review Results Returned
September 27, 2026: Final Acceptance Notification
October 4, 2026: Final Chapter Submission

INQUIRIES

Vincenzo De Masi
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
vdemas@gmail.com