Betreff:	[AISWorld] 2nd CFP: ISJ Special Issue on Virtual Worlds as Information Systems
Datum:	Wed, 30 Jun 2010 09:04:04 +1000
Von:	Jan Recker <j.recker@qut.edu.au>
An:	'aisworld@lists.aisnet.org' <aisworld@lists.aisnet.org>

Aims and Background

Virtual worlds have garnered unprecedented profile in both the media and academic research. Many IS Managers in their thirties have gained experience with 3D environments via gaming, and the appearance of game ready commodity hardware means that virtual worlds are now feasible as an Enterprise-wide Information System rollout. 3D virtual world interfaces are now increasingly used across a company as complementary information spaces, to web-based and other system services.

This strong momentum in IS practice, however, has not yet been matched by an intense academic focus. In particular, what is lacking is an in depth analysis of these worlds as potential business information systems interfaces, and their relevant design and use consequences.

The aim of this special issue is to provide a forum to present and discuss the emerging role of virtual world technology in the information systems community. The special issue explicitly advocates multi-disciplinary approaches that expand and integrate the current isolated research efforts in this exciting new area of IS research.

The special issue specifically aims at reporting on and discussing empirical and theoretical research in the use of Virtual World technology in Information Systems. In particular, we hope to provide a picture of the present state of international research with regards to how virtual worlds can shape the design, analysis, use, or management of information systems in organizations.

We encourage submissions that report on the use of research methods including experiments, surveys, case studies, focus groups and/or other empirical methods for the discovery of insights in the deployment, uptake, use, success or failure of Virtual World technologies in enterprises. Research contributed may range through various aspects of virtual world information systems, from development and integration, to impact studies on users.

We especially would like to encourage submissions on atypical usage of such worlds for Information System domains, in order that new and novel research may be brought to the attention of the international IS research community. In addition, we welcome papers that present, introduce or discuss novel approaches to emerging virtual world research, as this new domain will inspire different investigative approaches.

Contributed papers may deal with, but are not limited to:

- Social networking and communication in virtual worlds

- Virtual teams, collective cognition, and group performance, in virtual worlds

- Entrepreneurship in virtual worlds

- Virtual World technology and Interactive Systems Design

- System demonstrations and simulations

- In-world Information System modeling

- Human Computer Interaction

- Interfacing and integration of virtual world technology with other Information Systems

- Representations of Information Systems as virtual services

- Virtual world technology in IS education and training

- Adoption of Virtual World technologies and systems in corporate practice

- Diffusion of Virtual World technologies in social networking systems

- Virtual World technologies and co-creation of IT value

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts should not normally exceed 7000 words and should be submitted online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/isj. Authors will have to select Special Issue Submission as the manuscript type. Author guidelines are available at ‘author guidelines’ at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journals/isj/.

All submissions will be peer-reviewed following the double-blind review process of ISJ. The objective is to apply very high standards of acceptance while ensuring fair, timely and efficient review cycles.

Timeline

Full initial paper submission deadline : 30 August 2010

First Review deadline : 30 November 2010

Revised paper submission deadline: (if required) 30 January 2011

Second Review deadline: 15 March 2011

Camera-ready paper submission deadline: 30 April 2011

Publication of special issue: mid-2011

Guest Editors:

Dr Ross Brown

Information Systems Discipline

Queensland University of Technology

Office 508 / 126 Margaret Street